...Unto The Ends Of The Earth: Thai Mothers Day

Area: Chiang Rai
Companion: Elder Hill
August 11, 2013

Hey Guys!

Wow just finished reading Chelsea's email the Philippines sounds pretty crazy Thailand is a lot more developed and has a lot less jungle! Well I got some really sad news last night. I’m moving :( I had just told everyone at church yesterday that I wasn’t moving. Elder Harris and Elder Thanawat moved yesterday because Elder Harris is going to be training again and needed to be down there a couple days early to go to meetings so everyone was super sad that Elder Thanawat was moving, and they were all like Elder Cahoon are you moving too? I was nah I’m training Elder Hill I will be staying here. Turns out I’m moving I have to leave on Wednesday, and I’m pretty torn up about it. I have loved this place soo much, and training Elder Hill has honestly been the most fun I’ve had on my mission and I learned and grew with him so much! We had finally figured out how to work together really well and we were killing it out here! Finding so much joy in the work and seeing daily miracles and now I have to go. It seems that I might never finish training someone haha Looking back on how my mission has gone it seems to be the pattern though with each area and each companion there has been something to learn or something to overcome and as soon as I get it I learn it I figure it out or overcome I move on and either the companion or the area changes. Which is great I learn a lot and get better all the time this time I just wish I could have stayed we had a great thing going, why did it have to change? oh well It was an amazing transfer! and next one really is 9 weeks so I hope I get another great companion but I’m afraid that the area will pale in comparison to Chiang Rai.

Cool Thai tradition: After church yesterday we had a baptism and then after that the relief society put on a little mothers day activity complete with singing testimonies and tears. But then there was a way cool Thai tradition they had all the mothers in the branch go sit on a row of chairs in the front and then everyone starting with the branch president went down the line and went on their knees in front of them and waied each one of them in turn when Elder Thanawat explained to me what we were going to do I thought it was way weird but it has nothing to do with Buddhism and all about love and respect and as soon as it started it was the coolest thing I ever witnessed it was beautiful and it reduced everyone to tears it was so beautiful!

Olivia is my friend I LOVE Olivia!

Ben - I love that you are riding your bike and playing basketball and playing chess those are some of my favourite things you must be pretty good to tie Tommy!

Jeana - Mikaela is an awesome big sister isn’t she! I love Thailand, thank you for helping Ben prepare to be a missionary are you preparing to be a missionary like Mikaela?

Sounds like a sick efy guys so glad you loved it and learned so much! I love you!!

Mikalela nice work on the raise girl keep on killing it!!