Hello everyone!
Wow. What a week this has been. I think I have never laughed, prayed, cried, sang, pooped, studied, or prayed as hard as I ever have before. Without quoting Dickens too much, it really was the worst and eventually best of times. I'm going to try to jam-pack this email with as much stuff a can, so buckle up.
Tuesday in a nutshell, I taught gospel lessons during English class with a member who's known for taking up most of your teaching time by doing it for you. It being my first time and expecting this would happen, one of our great APs, Elder Goodmenson, and I practiced for it, but to no avail. Not only would he speak through everything, he would go back over the things and re-explain in his way what I had literally just explained. I was fuming. I "had not the Spirit" so I shouldn't teach, I thought. But then in that moment of complete frusturation, I thought back to the time my first District Leader, Elder Mondragon, talked about "being Jesus' advocate" (as opposed to being Devil's advocate). That means that instead of doubting, fearing or fighting one's self by asking 'Why me?', one who plays Jesus' advocate says 'Why NOT me?' and from there continues to simply ask himself (by asking simply) the hard questions.
For example, take listening to heavy metal [music] like my DL said he did all the time. After reading his Book of Mormon, he thought about it. Instead of finding excuses to listen to that music, he allowed Jesus' advocate to ask himself: "Why shouldn't I listen to this?" "Well, it drives the spirit away," he responded. After some time of pondering, Jesus' advocate simply asked: "So is listening to that music worth not having the Spirit with you?" After a moment's hesitation, he had to make a decision. But his decesion wasn't about 'Should I listen to heavy metal anymore?', but it was 'Do I want the Holy Spirit in my life or not?' He answered simply, "No, it's not. So, I won't." Then that thought led me to the words of his companion, my friend Elder Adams from the MTC. "WHY is one of the greatest questions you can ask yourself," he said. So I asked Jesus' advocate, "Why? Why am I here in this chruch with this member right now? What does the Lord want me to do or learn from because I am presently in this situation?" After asking that, I stopped thinking for how much of my time he was wasting. I became humble. I became teachable. Then the Lord was able to show me HIS way out. So, I brought him aside and we eventually worked out a compromise where he would explain everything and I would say a 1-1/2 minute comment about the gospel. I learned that day that it's not about what you teach that brings in the Spirit; it's how you bring in the Spirit through the ways you teach. After the three lessons that followed, we walked out of that room with our arm over the other's shoulder, even laughing a bit. I love that fat, smelly Thai man with all my heart and I know it's because of the love I have in Christ. Also, WE GOT SISTERS!!!!!!!!!!!! It was a cool experience to go back to transfer mtg, see my Nong's [new missionaries] expressions of confussion and awe at everything said - "Was I like that too just six weeks ago?" Jesus' advocate whispered, "Yes." And I almost told him to shut up. But we met Sister Roper and her Khon Thai companion (who was also a new missionary), helped them move in, and then met our branch president, "Prataan Tuwit". I wish I could describe our first meeting. We took our two taxis we came in and drove to the nearby Wats (or Buddhist temples). We had our first corelation meeting in the shade of a Buddhist temple, surrounded by stray dogs and the sound of blaring symbols and nasaly woodwind instruments. Welcome to Thailand! So after that, we all worked our butts off (that's where the praying crying, singing, studying came in), I got a little ท้องเสีย (that's where the pooping came in), and we had an awesome activity on Saturday where we cleaned the church together. The following two days are summarized in my President's letter:
"Dear President,
This week was the harvest we have been waiting and praying for this whole transfer. The fruits of our labors blossomed this week as we get new sister missionaries, and as we have been working side by side with ป. ทวิช [he could be talking about his Branch President]. On Saturday, after we all cleaned the church as a branch, about 20+ people all went to the most delicious outside buffet. There, the siters got very well acquainted with the members and we built stronger relationships that we couldn't have built any other way. Then on Sunday at chruch, that same spirit glowed in the chapel and gave a light I haven't seen in a long time as a result of the Lord's Spirit bursting through ดอนเมือง [?] at last. The blessings that came this weekend exploded like the popping of a champagne bottle - investagators that I've never met came Saturday to clean and eat together; the well-missed Elder and Sister Khanakham gave powerful
witnesses of Christ's love in their home ward before they head out to L.A.; our new sister missionaries brought hope from their testimonies; members who haven't been to church in months came to church, even our former branch president who has went bitterly inactive and was thinking about going back to Buddhism told ป. ทวิช [thinking this IS Prataan Tuwit, the current Branch President] he would never leave church again; two new investagators just showed up - one was the sister of อุ๋มอิ๋ม (our investagator [Oomiim] who is getting baptized in less than a fortnight) whom we taught after receiveing a phone call that she was there because she wanted to be a different person seeing something new in her sister that she wanted for herself and her two little children. In short, yesterday was nothing less than a miracle.
Thanks President for all your help, and this was how I saw the hand of the Lord this week."
Miracles happen in Thailand. The Lord loves his children. He loves you because he served you more than anyone else through his Atonement. If you don't believe me for whatever reason, I'm not going to judge you, but I'll share with you that I am here in this country typing on this computer dirnking this bottle of เป๊ปซ๊ (Pepsi) because of ป. ทวิช. Because of นิว. Because of my fat, smelly Thai brother who calls himself อู๋ (Ooo). Because of Brother Art. Because I was supposed to help อุ๋มอิ๋ม (Oomiim) embrace the Gospel of Jesus Christ so she could lead her sister to the Love of God that she has never before felt. I am here because of them. I wake up every morning because of these people. I eat food with these people FOR these people. I try my
hardest to go to bed on time because of these people.
But I CAN because of you. Your prayers make weeks like this happen and gave me the strength to crawl off the comfort of my little mattress that is laying on the floor and get to work. It's also because of you I'm tearing myself off this computer because I have stuff to do for these people. Again I thank you, praise you, and send my prayers with you. The Spirit is not fake. It's real, and invites all to come unto Christ and be perfected in him by studying His word, His love and His life.
2 min left before my computer logs me out. I love you all! Thanks again, until next time.
- Elder Gibbons
PS: So I'm going to follow up and thank you for joining me in memorizing the Book of Mormon scripture masteries with me before General Conference.
1 Nephi 3:7 was awesome - in both languages! So I hope you'll "liken" the next one! 1 Ne 19:23. Good luck!
