Hello Everyone,
This week is Easter and I have been noticing the Savior's Atonement more and more in my life. This week has been super hard all the sudden. But earlier that week, I went on a switch off to Roi Et (a neighboring Province) and we saw many miracles. We found ourselves walking in a community of tin shacks and dirt roads. but we found one man named ต๋อย and taught him and his cute little family that started to appear out of the shack person by person. Elder Kham-saen has so much love it's unbelievable. Also there was almost no Thai spoken there - it was all Isaan. I tried to pipe out a few words, but he understood our love and accepted a return appointment. Super cool. Something funny that happened that night was that we ran into a super nice lady from Bangkok (cuz we're very far away from there here) and she looked confused after we both spoke for a bit. She got a puzzled look on her face and pointed at Elder Kham-saen and said, "Why do you not speak Thai very well and this other guy sounds more like a Thai than you?" (They are very forward sometimes) We laughed because we both knew that he had been with foreigners for so long as companions that his Thai was slipping, and his English is excellent. And of course that warmed my heart a bit as well.... ;)
But trails started to come one after another after that and on Sunday, Elder คำแสน (Kham-saen), our Zone leader who is about to finish his service, spoke some words over the phone that comforted me greatly – a night or two before that I really wanted to call Elder Chamberlain (our other Zone leader) and talk to him. Well, he called me himself that same day I wanted to talk to him. The last tender mercy I will mention - for they are many - was with Sister Boo our investigator who was to be baptized on the 6th.
Because she didn't come to church for the full 3 hours, the Zone leaders did not approve her to be baptized on her date. With all the stuff that had been piled on me, this was the last straw. That's when I called Elder Kham-saen and helped me. So we went in to teach her about why we wanted to wait for her to be more ready. She was great and said a little humorously: "Why didn't anyone just tell me?" After that she said, 'You know, I feel you guys are stressed. What's wrong? You can tell me because I can try to understand." I have never been helped more spiritually from an investigator before. It's just part of the atonement - like a video I translated for in young women’s this week that my mom also sent me.
During this Easter season, I want to assign all to the same Homework I wanted to give Kenzi my sister this week that I will do too and will love to hear from you too. Kenz's Homework:
Watch this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXrOG02NMB0 all the way through. Kneel down in a quiet spot to pray and ask to apply the atonement more fully this week. Then this week, study those scriptures in the video (in the Bible). Throughout the week, record the small answers that God will give you day by day throughout each day (during your personal study time). Go to church; think about those verses and know that all those things that Jesus did He had to go through for you to partake of that bread and that water. Then tell me a little bit about how it went. I well do the same for this Easter season.
Love you all,
Elder Gibbons
Below are a few photos that Joseph's companion sent this week! :)
This week is Easter and I have been noticing the Savior's Atonement more and more in my life. This week has been super hard all the sudden. But earlier that week, I went on a switch off to Roi Et (a neighboring Province) and we saw many miracles. We found ourselves walking in a community of tin shacks and dirt roads. but we found one man named ต๋อย and taught him and his cute little family that started to appear out of the shack person by person. Elder Kham-saen has so much love it's unbelievable. Also there was almost no Thai spoken there - it was all Isaan. I tried to pipe out a few words, but he understood our love and accepted a return appointment. Super cool. Something funny that happened that night was that we ran into a super nice lady from Bangkok (cuz we're very far away from there here) and she looked confused after we both spoke for a bit. She got a puzzled look on her face and pointed at Elder Kham-saen and said, "Why do you not speak Thai very well and this other guy sounds more like a Thai than you?" (They are very forward sometimes) We laughed because we both knew that he had been with foreigners for so long as companions that his Thai was slipping, and his English is excellent. And of course that warmed my heart a bit as well.... ;)
But trails started to come one after another after that and on Sunday, Elder คำแสน (Kham-saen), our Zone leader who is about to finish his service, spoke some words over the phone that comforted me greatly – a night or two before that I really wanted to call Elder Chamberlain (our other Zone leader) and talk to him. Well, he called me himself that same day I wanted to talk to him. The last tender mercy I will mention - for they are many - was with Sister Boo our investigator who was to be baptized on the 6th.
Because she didn't come to church for the full 3 hours, the Zone leaders did not approve her to be baptized on her date. With all the stuff that had been piled on me, this was the last straw. That's when I called Elder Kham-saen and helped me. So we went in to teach her about why we wanted to wait for her to be more ready. She was great and said a little humorously: "Why didn't anyone just tell me?" After that she said, 'You know, I feel you guys are stressed. What's wrong? You can tell me because I can try to understand." I have never been helped more spiritually from an investigator before. It's just part of the atonement - like a video I translated for in young women’s this week that my mom also sent me.
During this Easter season, I want to assign all to the same Homework I wanted to give Kenzi my sister this week that I will do too and will love to hear from you too. Kenz's Homework:
Watch this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXrOG02NMB0 all the way through. Kneel down in a quiet spot to pray and ask to apply the atonement more fully this week. Then this week, study those scriptures in the video (in the Bible). Throughout the week, record the small answers that God will give you day by day throughout each day (during your personal study time). Go to church; think about those verses and know that all those things that Jesus did He had to go through for you to partake of that bread and that water. Then tell me a little bit about how it went. I well do the same for this Easter season.
Love you all,
Elder Gibbons
Below are a few photos that Joseph's companion sent this week! :)
