Transfer to Khon Kaen in the Isan!

Khon Kaen is almost 6 hours Northeast of Bangkok.

This week I got transferred! I have no idea what I'm doing. I'm the senior companion already, I am in a biking area, I white-washed in.... it's pretty insane. The good news is I'm still alive. But I'm not going to lie, it's really hard not to feel super scared so I pray like A LOT. I wonder if my companions before ever felt like this being senior companion...

I'm in Khon Kaen, a new area in a place called the Isan! I'm really excited to work here. It's going to be tough but so great. I also have a testimony that the Lord always wants us to keep growing. Right when we are comfortable he always gives us new chances to step out of our comfort zone to accomplish more things for him. But I know that as we rely on his help we will find success--which success is becoming more Christlike.

The Khon Kaen branch attends this meetinghouse

It's been a crazy hectic start to the transfer. Normally at transfers we meet our companion at 6 am at the mission office and then go straight to our new area, but because my companion had to do some visa work the next day, we spent the whole day at the mission office. We tried to make good use of our time, but it was hard. We did some studies, taught an RC visiting from Ubon, went inviting, and then Elder Ellsworth, one of the senior missionaries, took us all out to eat at a Japanese buffet. Then we had to pack all of our suitcases and bikes into taxis and we spent the night at a hotel in Chaengwattana. The good news is that day was filled with crazy miracles, like the person driving the taxi was WAY nice and familiar with the missionaries so he was super willing to help us out with all of our stuff. And we were able to teach him a really good gospel discussion in the taxi, which never happens because I suck at Thai, so that was a miracle. And then the person who owned the place we were going to was way nice took care of us missionaries with giving us a place to put our bikes, and the next day he helped us pack everything up and get them loaded in the taxis and stuff. Plus he spoke English fluently which was a plus. (He needs to get baptized--I already referred him to the Sister missionaries in Chaeng) Then our bus ticket to Khonkaen was the perfect timing, we didn't have to waste all day and we took a really nice bus. And the elders came and met us at the bus station to help us pick up our stuff.

Now we are here in our area and I'm not gonna lie it's way hard. I honestly just don't even know what to do next, like if I think of what I should do more than 1 hour ahead my brain hurts, so I haven't been doing much of that except during our planning sessions where it's obviously necessary. Khonkaen is this HUGE province. And everyone in this province is in the boundaries of one little church. I don't even know how to explain where the church is yet... It's kind of overwhelming, I want to help our LA's come to church, but I don't know how to meet them or in general I'm not super sure how to use my time wisely. In Bangkok it was SO different. I think I just must be in shock right now at how different it is.

(To answer a question about working out...) I workout every morning at 6:30 am, and it kind of just depends on the day! In my old area we had a gym. My greenie area I did t-25 with my companion, and here I've just been doing my own ab workout so far but we are thinking about maybe doing bike-ride exploring or something to get to know the area better during workouts.

I didn't use my (double-wall super cool) waterbottle as much in Bangkok since the MTC except at the house, but I'm SO pumped to use it everywhere now that I have a bike because it's WAY hot here and the water is not super appetizing when it's warm.

Overall, I'm grateful for this opportunity to grow, and for the gospel. And I am grateful for my family. My spiritual thought this week is a focus on hope, which is a Christlike attribute that I feel like I need to strive to develop this transfer. I know that when we have the attribute of hope we are able to be positive even when things are tough or don't go right. And having a hope in Jesus Christ is believing that we will receive Eternal life. I think sometimes Satan puts in my mind that I am a failure, or I'm not cut for this work, or there is nothing I can do to help others. But this is all wrong. Having hope is to believe and recognize that we are NOT a failure. We are loving sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father and he will provide.