Week 57 - Samut Prakan T8W3

Hello Everyone,

Thanks for reading again, and I want to thank you for your support and love. Thank you mom for reporting your wonderful faith by bringing that someone back to church.  If they didn't come the first time, it's ok- Sister Soni didn't either but because we didn't give up on her God could use us as His instruments to help her the following week.

I'd still love to hear your stories because it's not too late.  I also promise as a servant of God that He will help you in your endeavors to help Him if you let Him.  And you let Him by not giving up.  My dad always had this funny saying where he'd say something like (now correct me on this one dad):  Do you know Micheal Jordan?  Do you know Bill Gates?  Do you know Peter Billings?  No, because he gave up."   Haha thanks for your words of wisdom, Father.

This week has been crazy, packed with adventures, and pizza (which is a scarcity here).  I might start backwards:  I JUST got back from seeing a big Thai warship, a fort, and eating at a water market with two of our recent converts: Sister Mild มายด์ (and her mom Sister Gaid เกษ) and Brother Nat นัท.  Super fun, but I'm exhausted.  Church was awesome because Sister M'am แหม่ม came - she was the only investigator who came - and we really called everyone else but her.  I've felt as if I didn't have a lot direction this week; as if the Lord wanted to see what we would do before He told us.  So we worked really hard and planned for many long hours for many investigators, and M'am came - goes to show the Lord has now let us know what direction He wants us to go.  If your ever feeling like you need some direction and you don’t know what to do, it may be the Lord TRUSTS your judgment enough to let you "try it out" for lack of a better term, and will eventually show you the way if you but keep the faith.... Or as we say here: สู้ สู้!!  (Fight fight! Keep Go-ING!)

IF NOT HOWEVER, please take the advice that Sister Snell taught me in a letter I recently read.  She said she has been trying to feel the Spirit more strongly by praying REALLY hard for it - but she was not just praying for it, but by praying sincerely and with all her heart to receive those blessed gifts that come when a concentrated effort to have them is made through her agency.   Thanks Sister Snell - keep the fight with your new companion from Kstchrthgyht-stan or wherever she's from.  And Elder Worthington with his new native companion!  That's SOOO cool!  I mean I bet even Elder Reynolds has a native companion and I never have.  [Elder Jordan Reynolds is his cousin serving in Virginia!]  However, this is the first time I've ever lived in the same house as one!  Elder Schad is SOOO awesome and funny.  I have become more and more like a ลูกครึ่ง (half-child, or half Thai, half American), so we get along great.  In fact, we've had the opportunity to work together a lot; and even during that time that I was reading those letters, I was on a switch-off with him- so that means Sister Snell, Elder Worthington and I all had native companions together!  Besides that, it's been so great to hear their success stories that come with their trials.  And now with the Great Elder Grant Gibbons back home, I feel a great responsibility to carry on this work in the Gibbons’ name.  So cool to hear about his last week and the blessings that come to such an incredible man such as him.  Love ya Grant.  Thanks for your example you have set on your mission that has affected people not just in Arcadia.

Speaking of great missionaries, Elder Merkley and I also celebrated our birthdays together (His was just this month) by eating pizza and Swensen's Ice Cream - where a super creepy server kept coming over to our table to refill our drinks so she could give us a good look over.   One time Elder Merkley hadn't yet took a sip and she refilled it anyway!  Oh funny.   But then the members wanted to celebrate again, so they asked if we wanted pizza AGAIN, so we did... CHEESE IS SO GOOD but I'm so bad at eating western food.  Gimme a plate of rice and I'll go to town but western food... We'll see what happens when I get back...

But perhaps the crowning event was when Elder Gong from the Asia Area Presidency and Elder Evens, who is the executive Missionary person in the church came and spoke to us in Bangkok. They taught with the spirit and with authority about true repentance and about how to love your companion so that when you see each other after 35 years, you can have a 4 1/2 hour conversation with him or her like Sister Gong did... Super inspiring and we got to immediately apply the doctrine and see blessings that come from our inspired leaders.

I know that as we follow their love that council and love people with an eternal prospective, we will have better joy and love than ever before.  If you haven't yet invited that person to come back with you, I re-challenge you to become God's instrument by taking that first step on your own.  If you step into the dark, He'll be your light.  I know it because I've felt it myself.  I know these things are true in Christ's name. Amen.

With love,

Elder Gibbons