Sawatdii everyone,
Happy birthday last week, Khun Yai
(Gramin)!!
Brian, happy birthday as well!
Thank you mom for the advice to
study King Benjamin. I've been struggling this week on how to get really deeply
rooted in the scriptures. Where do I study? What to study? So today I got sick
of sitting and just opened up to Alma 17 and found comfort there - now I will
study King Benjamin's address.
This week was very eventful as I
traveled to Bangkok and happened to be campanions with Elder Wilamas again. We
visited a very special member - Sister Srilaksana, the very woman who
translated the Book of Mormon, the mother of [I think
he forgot to fill in this blank]. We saw her once before as a companionship
at her house, so we just followed the spirit to go there again - but the
servant lady said that she wasn't home but at the hospital because the day
before she wasn't breathing. We came just in time. We walked into the ICU to
see her - huge tubes going in and out of her mouth and nose. She was turned
uncomfortably sideways so we went over to that side and Wai-ed her. Elder
Wilamas then said: "Sister? Do you remember us? The Lord has called us
Karat and Kalasin to come for you and answer your prayers." We gave her a
priesthood blessing, shared our love - I wished her a Happy mothers day as the
mother or our religion here, and left. Elder Wilamas assured me that she heard
everything - a few small tears I didn't notice trickled down her face. The Lord
hears and answers prayers, Brothers and Sisters. He did for this woman who
means so much for the saints in Thailand, and has done for Elder Wilamas and me
to be companions again to see miracles.
Thank you for his words and YOUR
many prayers, because I have just felt peace as received my new companion, got
back and started training. Elder Christensen (that's the first time I wrote/saw
his name in English) is a native Utahan, but grew up in Georgia where he
finished a year of school studying math and then came into the MTC. He's 369
days my junior, super funny, and already a great missionary, and reading skills
are abnormally great which makes me excited as well. Elder Staten (one of my
best friends who just finished this week along with Elder Reynolds) said he
KNEW we were to be companions - because when he saw his double-breasted suit
coat he thought for sure we would be. I feel like as I have centered this
transfer on just doing good, I have never once looked at him as a
"greenie" (which Elder Holland forbids us from calling them). I just
do what needs to be done for the most part and invite him to do it after me.
And he does it! I've kind of "forgot" about the fact we're training,
so we "just do" and have seen results. So I have a pretty clear
conscience about how we've treated each other. We've been following the mission
rules and commandments as much as we can and we've seen miracles the Lord has
blessed us with.We work very well with each other. We saw an Elephant his first
day in the area while eating ส้มตำ or papaya salad. ;)
I have four other events that bear
witness of those miracles:
When we first became companions, we
were at the bus station but has a 3 hour waiting time, so we went out and
contacted. The last lady we contacted was named Noi. She was nice, but said she
didn't need all the stuff [our message] because she had the most important
thing in the world already - family. I got quite excited at her strange
rejection and pulled out the Book of Mormon and opened up to the picture
section. "Wow that's really interesting because this whole book talks
about families - like this family..." She got super interested and so I
taught her some more until prayer felt right to introduce. So I told her Elder
Christensen was going to teach her about prayer. He didn't look as excited but
told her the steps. Then she prayed with us and we gave her the book. We got
her number and gave it to the Elders in that area. Last time we checked, she
had been praying every day since! A cool miracle that we experienced not 5
hours after being together!
2nd miracle was with Dtaan. She has
been going so strong with not chewing maak. But her little grannie friends who
all chew persuaded her to eat "just a bite because her missionary friends
were in Bangkok and would never know..." So that next day, we got into
Kalasin at 4am and were up at 6:30 and out by noon. So we pedal over to her
house and she was chewing. We didn't really mention it and went away. We came
back later and she told us right after she decided to have a bite - just a
little bite - that we showed up and Maak out of a sudden was "ไม่อร่อย!" or
not tasty! Kind of funny and a great lesson for her and us. She is still
planning on being baptized this week and she really needs your prayers. But she’s
progressing because she's repenting and getting better and better.
Then we were inviting and went to make
a return appt with a new investigator, Dtik. Only she was in a different house
with her daughter Sai ทราย
and son Oven โอเว่น.
We began teaching and then Sai ran out of the house and returned with the Book
of Mormon I didn't recall leaving her. She then said that she got it from
"her friend" 2 -3 YEARS ago and had been praying when she felt sad or
sick. I asked her if it worked. She said yes. I asked her if she'd be baptized.
She said yes. I asked her on the 28th to be baptized, but she wasn't sure if she
was free. That's our next obstacle we need to overcome, and to get her family
on board. The Lord had been working with our investigators longer than we have
and this was a great blessing.
The last example of this was when we
went to find Sister Ple (Bun). but she wasn't there. I went from the busy
street into another road to hear better. But I kept walking slowly. She wasn't
free. Kept walking. Then I said "Yeah, I don't really know why we're
walking over here," something a trainer should never say (my lesson
learned), until we came to a small, shaded, yellow house. I can't describe my
feelings, but I had sort-of-feeling that we were to sit at the small stone
table there. A man came out (after he put a shirt on) and welcomed us to the
table. The feeling of going over and sitting down was the same feeling going to
your friends house to sit on his couch, but I didn't yet know we were at a
friend's house. Mr. Dtam came out and was excited to see us, as his friend from
England had not seen him for 12 years. [sidestory: in Bangkok I overheard Elder
Appleyard, the second Englishman to serve in Thailand, talk about the first
Englishman here - who taught our Branch President years ago...] Dtam kept
talking about how we were bringing light to him and then he played his guitar
(random - but he's good) and then asked me to play. I played and sand
Blackbird, and he was so excited. Then we talked about the BoM and he asked me
to play another one, so I played and sang "Tears in Heaven". The Lord
helps us and then he gave us someone else to teach... We walked down that road
back to our bikes knowing that we are missionaries called and sent from God to
gather those who are prepared.
My faith has been really tried and
tested last transfer and we've began seeing the results of patience and what's
called ความอดกลั้น or long-suffering, but in the sense where you resist what
you want to say to think - in Mormon terms, it's the actual battle part of
fighting the natural man. This week has been amazing and I am so grateful to
you and your prayers. I encourage you to keep faith in troubled times because
you'll see the results soon. Read the Book of Mormon. Don't know where to
start? Just start. I suggest 3 Ne 11. I suggested that to Dtam, and I do to
you. Still not feeling it? Charity - Moroni 7. Thank you for your charity for
me in your prayers and support. I receive letters and love them.
Love you and thanks again,
Elder Gibbons
PS: Elder Worthington - your letter
came at just the right time. It helped me sooo much. I Oslo got the opportunity
to meet Sister Packerd - or as I was on the streets with Elder Wilamas a
charming looking sister came up to me with a big smile and said hello. Super
fun - more about her later.
