Hello everybody!!!
This week feels like many from months past. It really went by at light speed. But we are doing well here in บางแค!!! The Lord is with us and the work moved forward. Which is good because being senior comp in a country whose language you've been speaking for 8 months can be pretty flipping hard sometimes haha.
Monday we headed into Asoke. Downtown Bangkok. I'll be honest, I wasn't much of a city person before I left on my mission, but I have really come to love it here in Bangkok. It's a weird mix of feelings knowing I've only been here for 6 or so months but at the same time it feels like home here as well. Bangkok is way good though!! Anyways, we ran around finding cool things in the market downtown and found some sick fabric to make ties and scripture cases because that's what all the elders here do. And it's way fun. Then we went and I got a suit cut with some way nice grey fabric and a nice lining. After all of that, we had a fire FHE at the bishops house. It was way cool. We brought an investigator over there, and the spirit in their house is so special. It was an awesome feeling.
Tuesday, we had a day. District Meeting ended up being first thing in the morning. It was actually pretty nice. Not bad at all. The other elders were a little late getting there and so we had some extra time that I took to kind of play the piano for a bit. It's something I've missed doing. It's way good stuff. After a fire district meeting on March madness, we headed out ready to go and baptize!!! We ended up studying for a bit and then we left and taught an investigator that we had originally planned on dropping but then we decided that we would give him another shot after this! Then we headed over to the church, grabbing dinner on the way, and then met with an LA who is doing alright, but still not 100%. After that, we had English class which was way fun as usual, and then we got 2 more investigators, referrals from an investigator!!! It was way fire. Awesome stuff. Our investigator who referred them is sooooo good. He is truly converted to the gospel and LOVES the BoM. Only problem is with graduation stuff on Sundays he can't come to church so he won't be baptized until next month. I'm not too worried about him though. He's so good.
Wednesday, we spent the morning contacting and got a few possible PIs, but we will see how they end up I guess. After that, we finally got an opportunity to meet with ไพฑูรย์ an RC that we haven't been able to meet with for a while now! But we met with him and he is doing alright. Super busy with work and stuff (he does security and so works 12 hours a day) and his wife hates us and doesn't want him to go to church or anything. So that's been good fun stuff. Aftet that, we had some good ol studies, and then had dinner and then met another LA. He's doing alright too. After that, we had a way good scripture class and then we taught บ. โอ่ม the word of wisdom and tithing. He had no problems at all. He is so good.
Thursday, we did weekly planning in the morning and then headed out to go and find a former investigator that we quickly taught the resto to. It was interesting. She was nice though. More to come on Saturday so stay tuned. Then we went back to the church to go and study and while we were there, we had a knock at the door and these two girls apparently walked into the church just to see what it was like and they wanted to learn. Cool stuff. One of them said that she had a Christian friend who was way nice. So be goof examples people!! That really makes a difference! After that, we had correlation meeting and a really good lesson with a member that nice. He is so good. He's not perfect certainly, but he is truly trying that I could see. Way awesome. Someone I can respect 100%.
Friday, we set out with a good day planned and watched alot of it kind of fall apart. Luckily we planned to study in the morning and around 9.00น is started pouring rain. So we were happy to be inside during that haha. After that, we walked to the church and had some lunch and then met with ป. ทิพย์ so he could go and help us teach an investigator. He is so awesome. A great teacher and a wise old man. After the lesson I asked him what he thought of the investigator and what we need to do to help him progress. ป. ทิพย์ just goes, elders he needs to feel the spirit before anything else can happen. What wise words. So true!! There's only so much 2 white guys like us can do haha. After that, we made a bunch of calls and the headed to a members house who has 3 college interns living there and we taught them the resto. Good times. I think they could progress pretty well. We will definitely go back next week. After that, we came back to the church, dropped a dater who just wasn't progressing anymore and had another appt fall through. Sad day.
Saturday, we had an interesting date. Earlier in the week I called a contact in the phone labelled as an investigator and he was like you can come over. After spending an hour and 200฿ to finally get the taxi in the right place where we could find him, we set down and talked with him and found out he is an RC!! What the heck. Then we walked back to the church and found some funny people but no one interested. Fun times though. After that, we had lunch, studied some, made more calls, and then we taught our investigator from Thursday. That was an interesting lesson. So after Thursday, when we set up the Saturday appt, I called a member to help us teach and stalked this girl on Facebook a bit and between what I saw and what the member told me, this girl had a crush on a previous elder and as soon as he transferred out, she stopped coming. So for this lesson (and she brought 2 friends too) we pulled our the big guns and taught the PoS and the absolute necessity of baptism!!! It was a very straightforward lesson. We were sure to set some expectations that were crystal clear. So we will see where this goes I guess. After that though, we taught a fire lesson with บ. โอม on temples and eternal families!!! No questions or problems or nothing. So cool. He's so awesome!!! Then the rest of the day was inviting, studied and calling people to get to church!!!
Sunday, we had an alright day. Sacrament meeting was great as usual. And the other hours too. Problem with today was all the members bounced before we could get very many appointments set up for this next week and then the investigators left before we got a chance to try and teach them. Sad day. Anyways, we spent the rest of the day inviting basically. We went and tracked down an LA at his work, which is also where he lives because he works 24/7 and sleeps like 2 hours a day. (His own words) Nice guy though. After that, we found aa PI, and did it get to teach anyone else. Sad day. Inviting is fun too though!! You can find some cool people. Then we got home and had dinner and studies. Good times.
My spiritual thought of the week comes from D&C 50.
17 Verily I say unto you, he that is ordained of me and sent forth to preach the word of truth by the Comforter, in the Spirit of truth, doth he preach it by the Spirit of truth or some other way?
18 And if it be by some other way it is not of God.
19 And again, he that receiveth the word of truth, doth he receive it by the Spirit of truth or some other way?
20 If it be some other way it is not of God.
21 Therefore, why is it that ye cannot understand and know, that he that receiveth the word by the Spirit of truthreceiveth it as it is preached by the Spirit of truth?
22 Wherefore, he that preacheth and he that receiveth, understand one another, and both are edified and rejoicetogether.
I have learned in the last little bit how important it is for people to learn by the spirit. No on that we teach will be converted by us. Especially when we can't speak this language perfectly haha. It's absolutely necessary that a. we have the spirit when we teach, and b. that those we teach have their own spiritual experiences. No one can have a testimony solely on facts alone. We must know to the depths of our soul it is true!!! Like President Monson said:
If you do not have a firm testimony of these things, do that which is necessary to obtain one. It is essential for you to have your own testimony in these difficult times, for the testimonies of others will carry you only so far. However, once obtained, a testimony needs to be kept vital and alive through continued obedience to the commandments of God and through daily prayer and scripture study.
And in this last conference, President Nelson has added:
Whenever I hear anyone, including myself, say, “I know the Book of Mormon is true,” I want to exclaim, “That’s nice, but it is not enough!” We need to feel, deep in “the inmost part” of our hearts,12 that the Book of Mormon isunequivocally the word of God. We must feel it so deeply that we would never want to live even one day without it. I might paraphrase President Brigham Young in saying, “I wish I had the voice of seven thunders to wake up the people”13 to the truth and power of the Book of Mormon.
This is a message I wake up each morning to share. It is the foundation of my testimony. I know that the BoM is true! And if it is true, then everything else here follows. The really power is in the book, not the missionaries.
I hope everyone has an excellent week!
Elder L
weve got some fun videos of markets in bangkok
a super sketchy bridge to our investigator turned RC appt
Elder Sieberts birthday
bananas
english class
and fun times on the way to bishops house for dinner
Comments
Post a Comment