Elder Joseph Gibbons Mission: Week 102 - (Roi-Et) MLC and our own Mission Tour

Hello everybody!

This week has been crazy but great. On new years we had Mission Leadership Council - a meeting where president rounds up his zone leaders and sister training leaders and talks about inspiration he's getting for the mission, which we in turn spread to the mission. While there, we were all truly inspired and actually well fed. Sister Senior made her "special syrup" which was buttermilk syrup (like my mom's)! After MLC, we hit up Korat, Khon Kaen, and Maha Sarakham and trained about the mission vision: 200 Baptisms! This goal has never been reached in Thailand, but this November, we had 110 - while I was rounding up statistics in the office, we were averaging about 40-50 a month. But we have been taught that in this month in January, there are 3 people per companionship who are among "The Elect." D&C 29:4-7 reads:

"Verily, I say unto you that ye are chosen out of the world to declare my gospel with the sound of rejoicing, as with the voice of a trump. Lift up your hearts and be glad, for I am in your midst, and am your advocate with the Father; and it is his good will to give you the kingdom. And, as it is written—Whatsoever ye shall ask in faith, being united in prayer according to my command, ye shall receive. And ye are called to bring to pass the gathering of mine elect; for mine elect hear my voice and harden not their hearts;"

This is what are focus is on and what's happening. There are 9 people ready for us to find them this month. I think this will be the most eventful part of my mission. The Temple IS COMING. The faith of the Saints is growing, but I ask all of you to please pray for two things. One: that we will be ready for this to happen. Two, that the Thai Saints will be and that they will desire to keep the Sabbath Day holy more than ever before.

The missionaries need this excitement and I'm excited to be shouting repentance at passing cars, zooming motorcycles, on door steeps on the house tops, in the hotels...

Yeah ps, Elder Wilamas and I went with Sister Wiganda and her family from Maha Sarakham to visit their less-active father who works at a hotel in Roi Et. He was happy to see us, and then we get a referral from the HEAD HONCHO of the hotel while we were there - her dad is pretty high up in the ranks, so Sister oot, Sister Wiganda's mom, introduced us. He gave Elder Wilamas and I each 2 calendars and a huge bag of expensive coffee - he also offered us tea haha... Grateful for that. Oh and it felt SOOO good to be back in Sarakham, speaking of Sister Wiganda and her family! It was a cool feeling stepping into the bus station again. I don't know exactly why, but I loved it there. I hope I will have the same feeling in Kalasin!

Our zone is picking up again after the scrambling around from the holidays; Roi Et is back up to 105 at church, Korat at 96 and Sarakhom at a whoppin' 63! (Yeah, that IS a lot!) Elder King the DL there is great, and they're working out helping Boo, my old investigator there, get baptized this month too!. We did some switching off with Khon Kaen and we will be helping them again this next week after we switch-off with Kalasin, as those two areas haven't had investigators come to church in a while.

Of our 200, we have but 25 to 30 as a goal for our zone. That's 12-15% of the mission's goal. We will do all we can to fill our part, and to go above. I feel the vision of the Lord is being fulfilled. Thank you for helping with your prayers. Elder Wilamas is really helping me see a greater way to do things and I feel like I'm helping him see the faith beyond the horizon when obsticles come and find us. THere are so many which makes me excited. In Sarakham, Elder Khanakham, one of my great friends who is also the Mission President's 1st Counselor, gave a fireside where he said:

"อุปสรรคปัญหาในชีวิต คือความเจริญ ก้าวหน้า ของเรา."
[Obstacles, challenges in our life, are our prosperity, our progression.]

I know it's true. And these problems that we face together will grow us... We just have to remind each other once in a while. That's why my "Next Companion" will have to be someone who reminds me to have a lot of faith!! lol ;) We had a mid-transfer switcher-upper and ended up with a Lao missionary named Elder Angkham - he's just hilarious and I know him from when I was in this zone with him back in Kalasin. He gave the greatest testimony at church and the members love him. He's also the son of the Branch President in Vientine!

So there's great things happening, great food I'm eating in the Esan (yes, I'm getting a little rounder), and miracles being seen. Elder Wilamas LOVES the dill pickle chips and flamin hots [Cheetos]. "How can white-man food like this taste so good?" he said the other day, lol!

Anyway, there's great things happen, again, so please pray for Jit to be able to divorce one of her husbands and for Teeb and the daughter Oom to feel of the truthfulness of this message. Please don't forget to pray that the missionaries and Thai saints will be ready for this to happen and that they will desire to keep the Sabbath Day holy more than ever before.

Thanks again for everything! Love!

Elder Gibbons

Here are some photos that Joseph's companion, Elder Wilamas, sent me...not sure what/who they are yet, but I will add them here anyway!

Both wearing the matching ties I sent them for Christmas. :)

Some of the things I sent in his Christmas package...

These were the ties I sent them in separate packages...one for them and one for their companion (whoever it was going to be!) It is a miracle that they are together!! :)