Hello! Thank you for forwarding those e-mails! I SO appreciate it! And thank you for fixing my card. I was able to pull money out the other day, so I think that it is working fine! Thank you so much for taking care of that for me.
As far as time, I will be getting on around 8 am, so I think that it will be about 7 pm there, but Sister Lish says it will be like 6ish. I'm sorry I am not absolutely positive, but if you just watch your skype account from 6ish to 8ish on Sunday night I will definately be on somewhere in there. I am so sorry I don't know for sure, but once we get on and connect I will figure out time difference so that we know for sure. I cannot wait to talk to you! I miss you all so much.
Mama, what jobs are you working? Security? That sounds crazy! How is that going? I am so grateful that the Lord is watching out and providing for you all! I know that you are facing some tough decisions, but I know that God will help you make them, and give you guidance and comfort. I am so grateful for your wonderful example of relying on Him. Thank you so much for being such an incredible mother.
So, Thailand...is crazy! The food is good, but my stomach isn't quite strong enough to handle a lot of it yet, so mostly I eat PB &J (thank goodness I can get that here!) I ate this dish called Somtam for the first time the other day. It is this legendary Thai food, that is kinda like a really weird papaya salad. Basically, it is really spicy and really gross, but everyone says that you just have to keep eating it, adn you will grow to love it. The somtam we ate made Sister Lish really sick, though. It was kinda a sketchy little raan ahaan,(kinda like an outdoor restaurant that people run out of the front of their homes). SO we won't be going back to that one. Two of the members here, Brother Jack and Sister Dan have a little one out front of their home, that is really good, and it is clean, so we eat there a lot. The members here are all SO great! I love them all dearly! They all work so hard at helping me learn Thai. I seriously don't understand anything anyone is saying to me, so they all speak really slowly and repeat themselves multiple times until I get it. And they all tell me how geng I am when I speak, mostly just to boost my confidence a bit!
So, a few things that I have done and seen in the past week...
I went caroling with the members! SO fun! Thai people love to party and have fun, and caroling was no exception! So great!
I saw an elephant for the first time in Thialand. They are not really around this area much, but as we were out caroling, I saw this guy ride up to a restaurant on his elephant. I think all the Khon thai (thai people) got a huge kick out of me being so fascinated by an elephant!!
So we were riding our bikes back home from passing out flyers at the mall the other night, and in the middle of the road, Sister Lish loses her shoe! So all of the motorcycles are trying to get around us and cars are honking at us, and I was just laughing!!
I am in shock at the way some people live here, and it is totally normal. I have seen the poorest of the poor. People who live in little one room cement blocks. But I am always amazed to see the way the Gospel brings everyone together. It takes all kinds of people in this church and this gospel is true for everyone...the rich and the poor, the short and the tall, the crazy and the crazier!!! SO incredible.
Ok, well I am out of time. I love you all SO much! I miss you like crazy! Have a wonderful week, be safe, have a great Christmas, and I will talk to you all Christmas night!!! I LOVE YOU!!!!
About Me
- Sister Jessica Wallace - ซิสเตอร์ วอลเลซ
- Bangkok, Thailand
- I love being on a mission and I love my family.
Monday, December 19, 2011
Monday, December 12, 2011
Jet-Lag and Culture Shock
Hello family! How are you all? It was SO nice getting to talk to you last week! I miss you all SO much! I am so glad everyone is doing so well. I am so glad to see how much HEavenly Father is blessing our family! Mom, have you thought any more about going back to school? Baby Mia is such a cutie! She is so tiny! And Cory and Tammy are expecting?!? Man, that is so awesome! I am so happy for them! I'm sad that I won't get to be there, but it will be cool to have a new neice or nephew when I get home.
So, traveling to Thailand was nuts. That was the longest trip ever. I thought that the 14 hour plane ride from San Fransisco to Teipe would never end!!! Hahhaha! But we got here all safe and sound! We spent the first night in the mission home with President and Sister Smith who are both so sweet and wonderful. The next day we had our transfer meeting, where I met my new companion, Sister Lish, who is super sweet. They also told us that we would be white-washing an area called Khorat, which in in the East in the Isan. White-washing is when they take both missionaries out of that area and put two completely new ones in. So Sister Lish is in charge of training me, and both of us have never been to this area before, we don't know how to get around, and I don't speak Thai!! Hahhaa! It is a great adventure. The members here are so great though. THey are so friendly and helpful, and there is always someone willing to help us teach. They always tell us how cute we are too. How cute our little noses and our white skin are. : ) Too funny! I am finding that I speak Thai ok and everyone can understand what I am saying. THey tell me I speak geng which is good or skilled. But I seriously cannot understand ANYTHING that is being said to me. So I just smile and nod and look desperately at my companion to translate for me. All of the ward members are really good about speaking really slowly and clearly and repeating themselves to try and help me understand, and they all tell me, you just have to keep talking and listening. It is ok we will help you! SO CUTE!!! I love Thai people! And the weather here is SO beautiful. It is hot in Bangkok, but it has only been about 70ish here in Khorat. In the mornings it is freezing though. Yes freezing, if it is under 75 it is freezing! Hahaha! I have been making very good use of my sweater.
So yes, I had really bad jet-lag, and I still have mega culture shock. I still wake up and think, where the heck am I?!?!?! But Sister Lish says that that should pass in the next week or so. There are only 4 missionaries in our area. A companionship of Elders and Sister LIsh and I, and it is a really big city, so I feel kind of lonely and seperated from everyone, but I am really just trying to focus on the work.
So as for Christmas, if you want to you can call me, or we can go to an internet raan and I can skype you. Which ever you prefer. Sister Lish says skypeing is cheaper and I would get to see you, but if calling is easier that is fine too. To skype, you just set up a free account, and you will need a camera. I know that Krista and Jorge have a camera so maybe you could borrow theirs and they can show you how to set up an account too.
Just let me know what you would prefer to do, and I will tell you what time when I e-mail next week.
Thank you for forwarding those e-mails for me! I really appreciate it. I can't e-mail anyone but you here in Thailand, so would you mind adding one more person to that forwarding list, please? ok, I love you all so much and miss you more than I can say!!! Have a GREAT week! And I will talk to you all next week!
Love you! Jess
So, traveling to Thailand was nuts. That was the longest trip ever. I thought that the 14 hour plane ride from San Fransisco to Teipe would never end!!! Hahhaha! But we got here all safe and sound! We spent the first night in the mission home with President and Sister Smith who are both so sweet and wonderful. The next day we had our transfer meeting, where I met my new companion, Sister Lish, who is super sweet. They also told us that we would be white-washing an area called Khorat, which in in the East in the Isan. White-washing is when they take both missionaries out of that area and put two completely new ones in. So Sister Lish is in charge of training me, and both of us have never been to this area before, we don't know how to get around, and I don't speak Thai!! Hahhaa! It is a great adventure. The members here are so great though. THey are so friendly and helpful, and there is always someone willing to help us teach. They always tell us how cute we are too. How cute our little noses and our white skin are. : ) Too funny! I am finding that I speak Thai ok and everyone can understand what I am saying. THey tell me I speak geng which is good or skilled. But I seriously cannot understand ANYTHING that is being said to me. So I just smile and nod and look desperately at my companion to translate for me. All of the ward members are really good about speaking really slowly and clearly and repeating themselves to try and help me understand, and they all tell me, you just have to keep talking and listening. It is ok we will help you! SO CUTE!!! I love Thai people! And the weather here is SO beautiful. It is hot in Bangkok, but it has only been about 70ish here in Khorat. In the mornings it is freezing though. Yes freezing, if it is under 75 it is freezing! Hahaha! I have been making very good use of my sweater.
So yes, I had really bad jet-lag, and I still have mega culture shock. I still wake up and think, where the heck am I?!?!?! But Sister Lish says that that should pass in the next week or so. There are only 4 missionaries in our area. A companionship of Elders and Sister LIsh and I, and it is a really big city, so I feel kind of lonely and seperated from everyone, but I am really just trying to focus on the work.
So as for Christmas, if you want to you can call me, or we can go to an internet raan and I can skype you. Which ever you prefer. Sister Lish says skypeing is cheaper and I would get to see you, but if calling is easier that is fine too. To skype, you just set up a free account, and you will need a camera. I know that Krista and Jorge have a camera so maybe you could borrow theirs and they can show you how to set up an account too.
Just let me know what you would prefer to do, and I will tell you what time when I e-mail next week.
Thank you for forwarding those e-mails for me! I really appreciate it. I can't e-mail anyone but you here in Thailand, so would you mind adding one more person to that forwarding list, please? ok, I love you all so much and miss you more than I can say!!! Have a GREAT week! And I will talk to you all next week!
Love you! Jess
Thursday, December 8, 2011
She has arrived in Thailand!!
We got to talk to Jessica on Monday night from the airport in San Fransico, CA, while her and her companion were killing time with their 6 hr. layover before moving closer to Thailand. It was so good to talk to her and hear her laughter and happiness. She sounded so good. She is nervous but very excited to get to Thailand and start sharing the gospel. We will get to talk to her again on Christmas day. We can't wait.
This is an email we got from a the sec. in Thailand letting us know that she had arrived. How thoughtful that was. We were wondering and praying she would get there safe.
Brother and Sister Wallace, we are happy to report that you daughter has arrived safely in Bangkok and she is in excellent spirits. She is being interviewed by President Smith and oriented by the office staff. She will receive her first assignment tomorrow morning at the regular transfer meeting.
Her Preparation Day is on Mondays and her email address is the same as she used in the MTC. We encourage you to send her an email this week so that she will have a letter when she checks her email next Monday.
Well she is there and away she goes. Go get 'em Sis! :)
This is an email we got from a the sec. in Thailand letting us know that she had arrived. How thoughtful that was. We were wondering and praying she would get there safe.
Brother and Sister Wallace, we are happy to report that you daughter has arrived safely in Bangkok and she is in excellent spirits. She is being interviewed by President Smith and oriented by the office staff. She will receive her first assignment tomorrow morning at the regular transfer meeting.
Her Preparation Day is on Mondays and her email address is the same as she used in the MTC. We encourage you to send her an email this week so that she will have a letter when she checks her email next Monday.
Well she is there and away she goes. Go get 'em Sis! :)
Monday, December 5, 2011
Today is the Day!! Thailand, Here she comes!!
Well good morning family!
It is super early in the morning here in Provo, and I am just hanging out doing laundry, getting ready to FLY TO THAILAND!!!!!!! But I'm only a little excited! HAhahahahha......NOT!!!! So just a reminder, I will be calling from San Diego tonight. I hope it is ok if I just call your cell phone because I don't know what the new home number is, but I promise that I will make it super quick since I get to call you again on Christmas, and since I only get 15 minutes anyway! So how is everyone's week going? I guess it is only monday, so i should say how was everyone's week? Mom, I don't know if you sent that package yet, or not, but I haven't gotten it yet. So hopefully, if you have I will get it today before I leave, but if you sent it and I don't get it in time, maybe Holly could come down here and pick it up? Did you all go get a Christmas tree last weekend? When we were walking to the temple on Tuesday we saw a van drive by with a tree on it, and it made me think of you all. Oh, and I forgot to tell you, I saw Vaughn Christensen on Thanksgiving. I guess he works here at the MTC and is going to BYU. It was fun to see someone from Kuna!
So, our last week at the MTC was weird. Time seemed to go really slow adn way too fast at the same time. I swear the MTC is in some wierd time zone where it can do things like that. :) Anyway, we didn't have any of our friends here so it was kinda a boring week. Except our noong thays who are great, and Elder Abbott. He is one of the Hmongs, but He got left by himself this week because of theway transfers in his mission worked out. So, he became Sister Farnsworth and my new companion. We also had our last lessons with our Progressing Investigators and our teachers. Kinda sad, but I'M GOING TO THAILAND!!! So, not so sad. We got to watch the First Presidency Chrsitmas Devotional last night. Did you all get to watch it? If not you should get on lds.org and watch it! SO GOOD!!!!
K, well I love you all. Have a great week! Talk to you tonight!
Rag Khuun, chook dii, etc.
Jess
It is super early in the morning here in Provo, and I am just hanging out doing laundry, getting ready to FLY TO THAILAND!!!!!!! But I'm only a little excited! HAhahahahha......NOT!!!! So just a reminder, I will be calling from San Diego tonight. I hope it is ok if I just call your cell phone because I don't know what the new home number is, but I promise that I will make it super quick since I get to call you again on Christmas, and since I only get 15 minutes anyway! So how is everyone's week going? I guess it is only monday, so i should say how was everyone's week? Mom, I don't know if you sent that package yet, or not, but I haven't gotten it yet. So hopefully, if you have I will get it today before I leave, but if you sent it and I don't get it in time, maybe Holly could come down here and pick it up? Did you all go get a Christmas tree last weekend? When we were walking to the temple on Tuesday we saw a van drive by with a tree on it, and it made me think of you all. Oh, and I forgot to tell you, I saw Vaughn Christensen on Thanksgiving. I guess he works here at the MTC and is going to BYU. It was fun to see someone from Kuna!
So, our last week at the MTC was weird. Time seemed to go really slow adn way too fast at the same time. I swear the MTC is in some wierd time zone where it can do things like that. :) Anyway, we didn't have any of our friends here so it was kinda a boring week. Except our noong thays who are great, and Elder Abbott. He is one of the Hmongs, but He got left by himself this week because of theway transfers in his mission worked out. So, he became Sister Farnsworth and my new companion. We also had our last lessons with our Progressing Investigators and our teachers. Kinda sad, but I'M GOING TO THAILAND!!! So, not so sad. We got to watch the First Presidency Chrsitmas Devotional last night. Did you all get to watch it? If not you should get on lds.org and watch it! SO GOOD!!!!
K, well I love you all. Have a great week! Talk to you tonight!
Rag Khuun, chook dii, etc.
Jess
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
She has Travel Plans :)
Guess what?!?
WE GOT TRAVEL PLANS!!!!! We leave on Monday! We are leaving the MTC at 130 pm, them leaving the SLC airport at 515 pm to San Fransisco where we have a 6 hour layover. So that is where I will be calling you from. I will call sometime between 725 and 1025 pm. Wish I could narrow it down more, but it depends on security and how long it takes to check in, etc. I have 15 minutes to call you, so should I call your cell phone? Anyway, after that we fly to Teipe, Taiwan (2 hour layover there), then on to Bangkok. we will get there at 1150 am on December 7th! i AM SO excited! But I am going to be a little sad to leave too!
thank you SO much for the package on thanksgiving! IT was so sweet! I really appreciated it! It sounds liek your Thanksgiving was way fun! What movie did you all go see? My Thanksgiving was great!!! We got to hear from Elder Russell M. Nelson, but Sis. Farnsworth didnt end up getting to speak, so no sitting on the stand. Otherwise i woudl ha ve been making all kinds of crazy faces at people! Great talk by him adn his wife though! THen we had a gross but really fun thanksgiving lunch. Then got to hear from a guy all aout the humanitarian work the church has done over the past year. SO GREAT!!! I know what I want to do when I get home! Then we made 8,000 injury kits that were sent to Sudan. Best part of the day, by far! I have tons of pics that I will send. (BTW. I can't send pics from the MTC, so I will be sending a ton when I get in feild!!!) THen we got to watch 17 miracles. Great movie!
So, all of our phxan (friends) left today. It was so sad, we said goodbye to all of them last night. lots of pics and handshakes. So all of the Cambodians, Hmongs, and Vietnamese are gone! IT is going to be so boring here without them! They definately were my source of entertainment here! This next week is going to be crazy tryong to get packed and ready to go though, so that should distract us. Oh, on that note, just as an FYI I have some books and stuff that I wont need in Thailand that I am going to be sending home in the next couple days or so, if you wouldn't mind holding on to them for me. Thank you thankyou thank you!
I am so glad to hear that everyone is doing well! Please send some holiday pictures! I love you all!
Mom, I cannot tell you how grateful I am for you! I got so lucky to have you as a mother! Thank you so much for being so supportive. And thank you to you and dad for making this mission possible for me, in so many ways. I couldn't do it without you love and support. This is truly the greatest thing I have ever done with my life, and I am SO grateful for the opportunity! And thanks for keeping a blog!
Well, I love you all! I will e-mail monday before I go, and call you monday night! So, til then!
Rag Khuun! Chook Dii!!
Jess
WE GOT TRAVEL PLANS!!!!! We leave on Monday! We are leaving the MTC at 130 pm, them leaving the SLC airport at 515 pm to San Fransisco where we have a 6 hour layover. So that is where I will be calling you from. I will call sometime between 725 and 1025 pm. Wish I could narrow it down more, but it depends on security and how long it takes to check in, etc. I have 15 minutes to call you, so should I call your cell phone? Anyway, after that we fly to Teipe, Taiwan (2 hour layover there), then on to Bangkok. we will get there at 1150 am on December 7th! i AM SO excited! But I am going to be a little sad to leave too!
thank you SO much for the package on thanksgiving! IT was so sweet! I really appreciated it! It sounds liek your Thanksgiving was way fun! What movie did you all go see? My Thanksgiving was great!!! We got to hear from Elder Russell M. Nelson, but Sis. Farnsworth didnt end up getting to speak, so no sitting on the stand. Otherwise i woudl ha ve been making all kinds of crazy faces at people! Great talk by him adn his wife though! THen we had a gross but really fun thanksgiving lunch. Then got to hear from a guy all aout the humanitarian work the church has done over the past year. SO GREAT!!! I know what I want to do when I get home! Then we made 8,000 injury kits that were sent to Sudan. Best part of the day, by far! I have tons of pics that I will send. (BTW. I can't send pics from the MTC, so I will be sending a ton when I get in feild!!!) THen we got to watch 17 miracles. Great movie!
So, all of our phxan (friends) left today. It was so sad, we said goodbye to all of them last night. lots of pics and handshakes. So all of the Cambodians, Hmongs, and Vietnamese are gone! IT is going to be so boring here without them! They definately were my source of entertainment here! This next week is going to be crazy tryong to get packed and ready to go though, so that should distract us. Oh, on that note, just as an FYI I have some books and stuff that I wont need in Thailand that I am going to be sending home in the next couple days or so, if you wouldn't mind holding on to them for me. Thank you thankyou thank you!
I am so glad to hear that everyone is doing well! Please send some holiday pictures! I love you all!
Mom, I cannot tell you how grateful I am for you! I got so lucky to have you as a mother! Thank you so much for being so supportive. And thank you to you and dad for making this mission possible for me, in so many ways. I couldn't do it without you love and support. This is truly the greatest thing I have ever done with my life, and I am SO grateful for the opportunity! And thanks for keeping a blog!
Well, I love you all! I will e-mail monday before I go, and call you monday night! So, til then!
Rag Khuun! Chook Dii!!
Jess
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Email 11/22/2011 - from MTC
Hello family!
How is everyone! How is your week going? Mama, thank you SO much for the package!!! I am so sorry I asked for so much, but I really do appreciate it so much! The coat is perfect! I don't think i will need the shirts or sweater, this coat is great! Thank you! And thank you ahead of time for the Thanksgiving package! You are SO GREAT!!!! I loved hearing about the beef you were able to get! IT is amazing the ways God blesses us! I love the blog idea! It'd be great if we could do it that way! I just want you and the family all to know that I am SO grateful for all of you. I am so blessed to have the loving supportive family that I do! As for the Christmas package, you really don't have to send me anything, but... : ) if you do, it might be smart just to send it here to the MTC before I leave. The mission home is underwater in Thailand, and I hear it is really expensive to send things there.
I'm really sad that I don't get to spend Thanksgiving with you, but I think that Thanksgiving in the MTc will be the next best thing! We get to do a humanitarian project most of the day! So that is going to be awesome, plus we have a devotional with one of the 12!!!! It is gonna be so great!
Our phii thays left for thailand last wednesday, so sis farnsworth and I are hopeful that that means we will get to go on time. We are supposed to get flight plans at the end of this week, so we will see!!!
This week I have been thinking a lot about the Refiner's Fire they always talk about in the scriptures. IT is amazing to me that God loves us enough to make that effort to refine us and make us better. How incredible that when we sin against Him, he still loves us enough to turn that into an opportunity to become stronger and better. Not just when we sin but when we have trials too! I know that God is refining me even now, to be a better missionary! TO be the missionary He needs me to be, and I am so grateful that He loves me that much! Thank you for your weekly thoughts! They are SO great! I am going to make a book of them!!!!
Ok, out of time! Love you SOOO much! Have a great thanksgiving! I will be thinking of you! Love you all!
rag khuun! Jess
How is everyone! How is your week going? Mama, thank you SO much for the package!!! I am so sorry I asked for so much, but I really do appreciate it so much! The coat is perfect! I don't think i will need the shirts or sweater, this coat is great! Thank you! And thank you ahead of time for the Thanksgiving package! You are SO GREAT!!!! I loved hearing about the beef you were able to get! IT is amazing the ways God blesses us! I love the blog idea! It'd be great if we could do it that way! I just want you and the family all to know that I am SO grateful for all of you. I am so blessed to have the loving supportive family that I do! As for the Christmas package, you really don't have to send me anything, but... : ) if you do, it might be smart just to send it here to the MTC before I leave. The mission home is underwater in Thailand, and I hear it is really expensive to send things there.
I'm really sad that I don't get to spend Thanksgiving with you, but I think that Thanksgiving in the MTc will be the next best thing! We get to do a humanitarian project most of the day! So that is going to be awesome, plus we have a devotional with one of the 12!!!! It is gonna be so great!
Our phii thays left for thailand last wednesday, so sis farnsworth and I are hopeful that that means we will get to go on time. We are supposed to get flight plans at the end of this week, so we will see!!!
This week I have been thinking a lot about the Refiner's Fire they always talk about in the scriptures. IT is amazing to me that God loves us enough to make that effort to refine us and make us better. How incredible that when we sin against Him, he still loves us enough to turn that into an opportunity to become stronger and better. Not just when we sin but when we have trials too! I know that God is refining me even now, to be a better missionary! TO be the missionary He needs me to be, and I am so grateful that He loves me that much! Thank you for your weekly thoughts! They are SO great! I am going to make a book of them!!!!
Ok, out of time! Love you SOOO much! Have a great thanksgiving! I will be thinking of you! Love you all!
rag khuun! Jess
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