Hellooo family
that I love!
Every week
Monday is like Christmas and I seriously cannot wait to bike as fast as
possible to the internet place to see what you've written!!
So, this week
was great! It was kind of a crazy week because we had switch-offs and our big
district conference in Roi Et with Elder Gong (area seventy over SE Asia). I’ll
get to it all!
This last week
we finally taught an official lesson with E. (English teacher from
Cameroon). We are continually running into him around town and I kind of feel
like that is a hint that we need to really teach him. We've tried to get him to
come to church or meet with him, but he's often traveling. Anyway, we were able
to teach him the restoration last week and it went well! We had given him a
Book of Mormon a few days previous and he had actually started to read it.
There was something really special about teaching a lesson in English. I felt
the Spirit very strongly when we testified of Joseph Smith and the Book of
Mormon. Not totally sure what he thinks, but he was way open to our message and
invited us to return. So, that was a really great experience and I really hope
he'll continue to learn with us!
We've been
having a really hard time meeting with investigators. We somehow have
investigators that are always gone. It's really frustrating! So, tomorrow and
the next day we are going to visit them and make a calendar with them so that
we can have for sure appointments. We'll see if it works! We've been praying
and fasting for one of our investigators, Sister B. She really wants to be
baptized and she's come to church the last two weeks!! Amazing!
We also have a
less active member named Sister D. who is nowhere near interested in making the
effort to come to church and become active. However, she seems to enjoy having
us come over. So, we come and visit her usually about 3 times a week. Our big
goal is for her to start praying personally, but she always says she doesn't
have time or forgets. Anyway, we're working on that. But, each time we visit,
we've decided to share a story in the Book of Mormon with her and pull out
important principles. We're going in chronological order, so right now we're on
the liahona. She seems to like the stories and maybe that will start to peak
her interest in the gospel again!
So, a few funny
things that happened this week, and then I'll get to the really exciting
things!
On Monday for
FHE we decided to bring brownies for dessert. Our English students seemed to
love them, so we figured the ward members would like them too. Oh, how wrong we
were... haha. They all took a brownie and started eating them, but they seriously
all looked like they were downing hamburger-oatmeal-delight from Dad's scout
camp. I guess that chocolate is not delicious to all Thai people! We told them
they don't have to eat it, but of course they wanted to be nice. Made me laugh.
Won't bring those again!
After FHE we
went to stop by a less active member's house a little way out of town. We'd
brought the brownies stacked in this big rice cooker because we don't have
tupperware or anything else to put them in. So, we were leaving her house and
going down a little street to the main road. We were riding our bikes and I was
carrying the rice cooker with one arm when 5 or 6 dogs came out of nowhere and started
to bark and chase us. Normally I can bike fast enough and out ride them. However,
since I was carrying the rice cooker and was going to have to turn onto the
main road, I was going slow. One of the dogs bit my shoe off my foot!!! I was
so mad! I really liked those shoes and I didn't want it to get all nasty and
slobbery. The dog ran away with my shoe. But, like a true mother, Sister Mullen
went back down the street and found my shoe in the middle of the road and it
was all in one piece! Wahoo! Dogs...
Okay, so on
Friday all of the trainers, district/zone leaders, and sister training leaders
had an all-day training in Khon Kaen with President Senior and the AP's. So,
our sister training leader told us that we greenies could do switch-offs so we
wouldn't have to spend all day in Khon Kaen! I went to Kalasin with Sister
Greenwood and we had an awesome time! It was so fun to catch up with her and
she seems to be doing great.
Kalasin city
itself seems to be smaller than Mahasarakham, but they have many
"banogs" (towns out in the boonies) that are way spread out. So, they
definitely cover more area than we do. We spent Friday and Saturday visiting a lot
of recent converts and less actives! I met so many wonderful people. I wish I
could tell you about them all. But, we seriously visited a ton of people. I'll
tell you about a few of them.
On Friday night
we rode our bikes way out into the banog to visit an investigator. She had some
questions about her readings in the Book of Mormon and wanted us to come
explain things to her. So, we took a member with us because we probably could
not explain very well. The investigator, Sister M., was so sweet and really
loves the Book of Mormon, but it's hard for her to understand. She was on the
story of the Brother of Jared and the member, Sister Golf, explained it really
well and we added our own testimonies/insight. When we were about to leave she
asked us what verse we could leave with her to study. NEVER have I ever had an
investigator actually ask for a commitment! Amazing!
Afterward,
Sister Golf wanted to take us to dinner at KFC. haha There are a ton of KFC's
here, but I haven't had it yet. It was surprisingly good! Sister Golf also
brought along her 13 year old cousin. Her little cousin loves falangs and
wanted to take pictures with us. Then she asked us to give her a
"falang" name.We named her Emily and she seemed pleased!
The next day we
visited a ton of people, too! I think my favorite part of the day was when we
rode our bikes about a half-hour out of town to visit Sister Noi and her
family. She is a recent convert and Sunday was her birthday. She loves the
gospel and she loves the missionaries! She has a daughter about 35 years old
and a 14 year old granddaughter. Sister Noi only has one old skirt that she
wears to church every week. Since yesterday was the big meeting in Roi Et, she
didn't feel like she looked presentable enough to go to the meeting. So, we
went out to her house and took her one of Sister Madsen's skirts as a birthday
gift. I almost started crying because of her reaction. She was so so so happy
and could not stop talking about how beautiful it was. She kept picking it up
and hugging it, then she'd stand up and dance around with it. This lady was so
grateful and so happy. Who knew that a skirt could lift someone's spirits so
much and bring such joy! We also brought a ton of fingernail polish and painted
her nails, as well as her daughter's and granddaughter’s. Then we shared a
short thought from the Liahona about being daughters of God. This experience
made me so happy and really touched me. I thought about how just showing
kindness toward this lady had brought me so much joy. I know that throughout
this mission there are so many people that we can touch and improve their lives
even slightly. Whether or not we're missionaries, there are always people that can
use a bit of cheer.
Okay, so Sunday
was AWESOME! We had to be in Roi Et at 8:30 am to meet Elder Gong and his wife
in person! They shook all our hands and then took pictures with each of our
companionships. I think Sister Senior said she'd have the pics sent to all the
parents, so you should get them sometime this week!
Elder Gong came
to speak for district conference (stake conf), but he also took about a
half-hour to speak to us before the meeting. He gave us five points of counsel:
1) honor,
respect and learn from the senior Thai missionaries/leader
2) don't just
work harder, work smarter (this is a gospel of joy and happiness- you should be
having fun!)
3) have hope in
our companionships (treat comps so well that in 30 years we'd want to get together
and talk all night long!)
4) live for the
day (make every day the best it can be and then the weeks and months will work
themselves out)
5) take care of
our health
6) D&C 62:3
(cool scripture!) Our testimonies are recorded in heaven whether or not they
are accepted by those with whom we share, and the angels rejoice over them!
(goes along with the thought that Grandma Lynn sent me!)
Anyway, it was
great! In the actual meeting he talked about how darkness cannot endure light.
Prayer, FHE, scripture reading, etc... bring light. He asked that we all try to
bring light into our lives. He said that the temple is a place of complete
light. If our homes are supposed to be like temples, they should be full of
light. Mom and Dad, I'm so grateful for the home completely full of light that
you have provided for me! Thank you!
So, a lot more
was said, but those were some of the main points. It was wonderful to hear from
our amazing leaders. And it was so much fun to see other missionaries! I saw
Sister Stack, some of our nccngs from the MTC and our Phiis! It was such a great
weekend.
Also, seeing
President and Sister Senior always gives me a huge boost! They are wonderful!
Sister Senior came over to me and said, "So, I hear all you eat are
carrots and cucumbers!" haha. I think Sister Mullen must have mentioned
something about buying vegetables here all the time. Anyway, we're both
healthy, happy, and well.
I love you all
so much!
Love,
Liz
