Another great week in TBM!!!

Hello everybody!!!

So this week was another great week. To start off, I would like to share several acronyms that the name of our mission fits. TBM can stand for many things, including by not limited to.... The Best Mission, The Best Missionaries (spoken by the mouth of President Johnson himself), The Baptized Mission (from Elder Bunker) and most recently, the zone leaders told us in zone conference this week that we are Temple Building Missionaries!! There is a huge push here to get the members here ready for the temple that will come to Bangkok, and we are all so excited, even if it may take several more years. The work here is great, and the members are soo awesome!! I figured I would start with that since that is pretty much the main focus of the work here, get members and Melchizedek priesthood holders ready for a temple. It's exciting stuff. But more about zone conference later.

So last Monday, we did not have anywhere to go for family home evening, since the member whose house we would have gone to got sick. So we had no plans. But we weren't about to sit around for all evening, and do nothing, so Elder Bunker went out to invite. We just hit the streets, and talked to everyone. I really found the promise in D&C 33 to be true. If you will just open your mouth in faith, the Lord will fill it, even if you don't understand the language you are supposed to be speaking. So that was cool. We did find a guy though, and taught him, and now he has a baptism date!!! So that's super awesome.

Tuesday, we had several appointments fall through, so we went inviting alot. Here in Bangkok, you get really good at teaching when you find, just because there are so many people going everywhere, so you can literally walk out the door, and find investigators. The trick is getting them to keep commitments, and progress though.

Wednesday, we had an hour and a half long lesson.... It took forever. We have an investigator who wants to know the truth of our message, but does not pray, and lets his questions hold his faith back. Doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith!!! But he is getting better. He has a friend at church that I think will help him out a little. The reason it was so long though, was we had a member from the ward help us out, and he really likes to talk, so yeah that took a while.

Thursday, we had interviews with President Johnson in Asoke. After that we ate at Carls Jr. So it was a pretty good day. President Johnson is such an amazing president, and he is definitely inspired. He is awesome. Also, having an American burger was way good haha.

Friday, we had zone conference!!!! We talked about some really great stuff. First off was President and Sister Johnson talking about the importance of the Book of Mormon. If we do not have a testimony of it, we cannot teach the gospel effectively. And if we cannot help investigators develop a testimony of it, it will be very difficult for them to become converted. It is way important. I know it is true, and carries so much power in it. We committed to use it better in teaching, because of the power it has. After that the APs talked about planning and goal setting. Then we had lunch, and it was waaaay good. Mexican food in Thailand. Who knew it could be so delicious? After that, we talked about family history. The senior couple that talked about it told us that retention among converts to the church could go from 20% (where it is now in Thailand) to 80% if we used this. So that is way cool. We need to get on that. Then the zone leaders talked about being Temple Building Missionaries. It was really good. After that we had a couple more things, and took pictures, but that was pretty much it.

Saturday, we went to the edge of our area, and found Meg, our 9 year old recent convert!!! We were way pumped, and super happy to see here. Apparently she is failing classes at school, and so that is why her mom won't let her go to church, she needs to stay home and study. But we committed her to do better and come back to church. After that, Elder Bunker and I stayed at the hospital for 4 hours while he got his Thyroids checked up on. He will be radioactive all next week, but more about that then. After that we invited and got kicked out of a mall by security, then went to the church and studied, and after had lessons fall through. Life of a missionary. It's the best.

Sunday was way good. It was fast and testimony meeting, and the spirit was really strong in sacrament meeting. In Sunday school บ. สตอป gave a great lesson on the atonement. I was lost for most of priesthood meeting, didn't understand what they were saying. After church, we had lunch, and I ate what I think was chicken feet. Weirdest thing ever. Very surprisingly chewy.

Ok, the answer to the joke last week is if Adam ate the fruit first, there wouldn't be any left on the tree! Hahaha, I thought it was pretty great, but I imagine I'm getting a dozen eye rolls right now ;)

Thought of the week is now my signature on all emails. Moroni 8:16 reads Behold, I speak with boldness, having authority from God; and I fear not what man can do; for perfect love casteth outall fear. This is my goal for the rest of the mission, to, as my trainer tells me everyday "Fear no man" If we have perfect love for those around us, then we won't ever fear, and I think that's an awesome promise. The center of this Gospel is Jesus Christ, and the center of his life was love, perfect love, charity. We cannot achieve anything worthwhile in this life without love, and I know that to be true. So that is what I will work on this week, and the rest of my mission.

Have a great week everyone!!!

Elder Ellsworth

Pics: I hit my head in the bus literally everyday

a cool gecko I found the other day, they are all over Bangkok, and you can see this one's insides

elder bunker and I riding a fun form of public transportation. literally just a pickup truck you hang on to and go

more thai food