Hello everybody!
So I have received a couple of emails about the comments I made about smartphones a while back. I figure I will clarify some misconceptions. Years ago, when President Senior was the mission president in Thailand, he received the ok to use iPads in the mission. But he decided that would not be a good idea since people here are pretty poor in some areas, and that would provide a hazard to missionaries, who would then probably be mugged to get them. So we've Samsungs for about 4ish years now in our mission, they are just really low models. This last month we went and bought higher models using our own personal funds, and these phone are ones that are 100% ours, and we can bring home after our missions, so no, now we are not the only mission in the world with smartphones, but we were a while back. So I apologize to anyone who thought that I was saying the Thailand Bangkok Mission is superior to other. Even if the initials, (TBM) stand for The Best Mission. But anyways.... here's how this week went down.
Monday, was Pday. It was a fun day. We went and bought some tie fabric to bring to Rangsit since that's where we were headed for the day, to hang out with the elders there, and play some ping-pong at the church. So this Wednesday, at Zone conference, I will get some pretty dang good looking ties, when the elders from Rangsit bring them back from the tie maker there.
Tuesday, we had a pretty laid back day. We had studies in the morning, and then district meeting, and then Elder Allen and I were requested to go and visit the high priest group leader in the hospital. He got in a motorcycle accident last Sunday and broke his collar bone, and had some road rash down his back, but was pretty ok besides that. He asked us to give him a blessing, and wow the spirit was way strong. So we did that, and I think I benefited from it as much as he did, just with how comforting the spirit was in that moment. It was awesome. Fast forward to this last Sunday, and he's already back at church. He's awesome. In his fifties, and reminds me alot of Brother Dickman. Both work construction, both are way tough, and have VERY firm testimonies in the gospel.
Wednesday, Elder Allen had district leader training, and so he went to the office, and I switched off with Elder Hafen for a day since his companion was also a district leader. It was way fun. We just studied in the afternoon, and then met with a less active member. She's way awesome. It was a way fun meeting, and I really felt the spirit. Basically we just met with them, and expressed the love Heavenly Father has for them, and encouraged them to read their scriptures. After that, we headed back and switched back to our companions, and Elder Allen and I had dinner and called a bunch of people to try and set appointments for the rest of the week.
Thursday, we had a way good weekly planning session, and I am excited to see how our investigators will progress in this next week. After that, we met with a guy at KFC, and he is way awesome, just willing to go and try it all out. I am hoping for a white Christmas with him, and a baptism on Christmas Eve. We'll see how things work out though. After that we had a quick correlation meeting, and then had dinner at the Bishop's house and met with some potential people he knows that we may end up teaching. We also taught their neighbor, whom I also hope will be baptized this month.
Friday, we got to go into downtown Bangkok, and do service for the Red Cross!! It was way fun, and we got free lunch and breakfast out of it too haha. Anyways, it was alot like bikes for tikes from last year that I went to. We just put together care packages with blankets, socks, toothbrushes and that sort of thing for a couple of hours. It was way good stuff. Alot of fun too. My job was putting hats in every bag. We did about 1500 or so bags. It was way good stuff. I was happy we could help. After we finished, Elder Allen and I headed home, and visited an LA, and taught a lesson at the church right before sports night. Then we had a fun game of soccer with some of the kids that live down the street.
Saturday was a day of miracles! We found no new investigators this week so far, so we set a goal to find three today, somehow. So we go throughout the day, and we study some, have appointments fall through, and do like 2 hours worth of calling people to try and set appointments and stuff. But we got to 3 or so in the afternoon, and had no new people we taught. So we said a prayer to find people at the stake Christmas party, which is way awesome here in Bangkok. It's called Journey to Bethlehem, and it takes people through Jesus's journey to Bethlehem, and how he was born and stuff, and after that, people who are interested can sit down with missionaries and those who aren't go outside and party and eat food and stuff. Anyways, a member in our ward brought his neighbors, and we got exactly 3 new investigators!!! It was a tender mercy for sure. The party was fun too, but that was my miracle for the night.
Sunday was way good. Not much really happened. We went to church, which don't get me wrong was great, and it's always great. Afterwards, we had lunch together, and then had ward council. We talked about the investigators in the ward, and how to help them, and it just got me way pumped for this next week. It's going to be sooo good. After that, we had a lesson, got haircuts from a super nice lady in the ward, had dinner at the Bishop's house, and that was pretty much it. Pretty good day.
So for this week, my spiritual thought comes from thoughts I've been having on planning. Because planning is sooo important as missionaries, and anyone really who wants to use their time wisely. So I went to the Book of Mormon, and found this verse: Alma 12:25
25 Now, if it had not been for the plan of redemption, which was laid from the foundation of the world, there could have been no resurrection of the dead; but there was a plan of redemption laid, which shall bring to pass the resurrection of the dead, of which has been spoken.
So even God has a plan, that he has had from the beginning of the world. If we want to be successful, we need to have a goal, and have a plan to achieve that goal. So for anyone that wants to succeed, make a goal, make a plan, and go out and work!!!
I love you all, and hope you have a great week!
Elder Ellsworth - เอ็ลเดอร์ เอ็ลสเวิร์ธ
for perfect love casteth out all fear
เพราะความรักที่บริบูรณ์ย่อมขับความกลัวออกไปสิ้น
Thailand Bangkok Mission
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