So last week you may have heard of a small conflict I had
with the APs... :p
Well, happy to say everything's great. The very same day I
sent my Email I got a personal phone call from President himself. We talked
about all that happened and about the trainings we had. He was so grateful for
the things we were doing (he even sent us some text messages of some of the
things that the other Missionaries sent him in their weekly emails earlier this
week concerning the trainings). He also helped me see that I need to keep the
enthusiasm and not be discouraged when we are advised by our leaders to take a
path that seems less than productive. He shared an experience about Elder
Andersen [of the Twelve Apostles] that happened while I was in the Office. One of the days Elder
Andersen was here, President shared with him some ideas that were a
little more "forward thinking" in missionary work that he was
thinking about implementing. He said that Elder Andersen was calm and
responded: "You know, those are some great ideas, President, but
you have no authority to change Preach My Gospel." WHAT A ZINGER!
A great lesson about how obedience is better that
sacrifice.
He also told me about the story of Saul in 1 Samuel 15. Saul is commanded to smite and destroy the
Amalekites and all that they have, but he saves some animals to sacrifice. The
prophet asks him what the heck is going on and Saul explains that he
didn't do what the Lord commanded because he was going to sacrifice the
best of the Amalekite's herd unto the Lord instead. Like Elder Andersen to
President Senior, Samuel gives Saul a stunning response: "Hath
the Lord as
great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying
the voice of the Lord?
Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to
hearken than the fat of rams" (1 Sam 15:22).
After that we've been
really trying to build up Roi-Et as the Zone's "Model Unit" or แม่แบบ, or as President Senior counseled us to
do. I love the word "แม่แบบ"
("mae-baeb" as in Ka'bab' from Flight of the Concords)
as model because it literally translates to "mother" - "pattern
or way". I thank my แม่ (Mae or mother)
for being a model for us, and as we work hard we will be like the mother unit
that others can follow. This week we worked to help Sister Best (เบส), the District President's referral, get baptized
this week. It was great seeing her soak up the gospel faster that anyone else
I've seen. Also we have been meeting a lot of youth who are being prepared
(Elder Wilamas likes youth because they most likely have not had a
lot of time to commit sin like a lot of our other investigators, lol...).
For instance we're teaching Sister Gift's 17-yr old male friend, Ribbon, who is
just starting to open his heart to the gospel. We're teaching Sister Rose's 17
year old friend from school named Amy who asked the greatest questions.
"Amy, do you have
sin?" Elder Wilamas asked her in our first lesson.
"Oh I've got
lots!" she laughed.
"Would you like to
have it all go away?"
"Yeah I really would.
How do I do that?" We taught about baptism and she asked what she need to
wear when she is baptized. Super cool! She came to all of district conference
(Sat and Sun session), and we're seeing her tonight for FHE.
We're also teaching Sister Jennifer, the little sister of brother Mike in
our branch who asked,
"How can you receive
an answer to all of these questions in my life?" It's kinda funny that all
of the people we're working with have super-English names, but it's also funny
that all of these people came from their super-great member friends, like many
of you who are reading this email.
One boy we're teaching, Arti, is an 18-yr old who we met at the big park here in Roi Et called Beung Phalanchai:
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| Beung Phalanchai |
District conference was also great. Saturday session was all about missionary work - I got to watch President and Sister Senior play a piano duet to show unity and President even showed how to invite someone to baptism off a street contact on the podium. Sunday session was so awesome to see all my homeys from Maha Sarakham, Kalasin, Korat, and Khon Kaen, and Roi-Et come together in one place. I saw sister Dtaan with little King King and sister Boo from Maha Sarakham who was baptized recently. I saw Brother Rough from Kalasin and when Sister Nui and Brother Somsak came and recognized me she gave me a hug! (She's like 55 years old, but it was still funny and against the rules a bit...) Sister Tom also became the District Relief Society President. Sister Wiganda (our super tight friend who also went to eat ice cream on my 2 year mark) is in the District Young Women's Presidency. Elder Wilamas and I received many gracious welcomes from all the members who love him and started to love me in Korat as well. Together, we probably got about 10 pounds of food. From Maha Sarakham, Sister Yuen gave us Masaman Curry, Sister Wiganda gave us no-bake cookies and Sister Wright gave us each a taco salad - a rarity indeed and quite fun watching Elder Wilamas eat it for the first time. President from Kalasin gave me these delicious Japanese Cookies. Sister Viphaa and Sister Gob, and Sister Wannaphong (who ALSO ate Ice cream with us that day) gave us treats from Korat as well.
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| The "loot" they got from people who love them! :) (A big thanks to all of them from Joseph's mom!!) |
I have been so blessed to have served in this District for so long. In fact, in the middle of translating the Sunday Session with Elder King, I announced that I was being asked to share my testimony. I told everyone how thankful I was to have served in so many places and that my heart is spread in the three branches I served in: Maha Sarakham, Kalasin, and Roi-Et. Some people in the Audience even shouted lightly "in Khon Kaen too!" and "and in Korat!" I bore testimony of the work of the Lord and how we are in this church to not just learn new things but to help ourselves get ourselves to DO the things we know. I know three things, I said. 1) Heavenly Father loves us. 2) The Book of Mormon is True. 3) Heavenly Father wants us to get back to him. I was super grateful to have that opportunity that is a once in a life time thing on your mission. I really have fallen in love with the Esan and I always will have a special place in my heart for the land I remember covered with seas of green rice fields, the smelling of roasting chicken and fried food on the sides of the streets, the listening to the shouts and salutes in Lao the people toss back and forth to each other, and the calypso-like beats that come from their traditional dancing performances as you're racing your bike through the narrow, shop-covered, color-covered streets. But what I will remember most about this land are the beautiful people I interact with here.
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| Baptism of Sister Best |
Like I said, Sister Best was baptized! The drama of the day happened when the Sisters got mad at us because we had two baptismal services and I wanted to take the blame and help them. Elder Wilamas sat me down and helped me see that just because someone we love is hurt that we need to take the blame for things. When we ate dinner that night at Sister Dog-rak's they apologized, just like Elder Wilamas said. "People are smart, and they can think for themselves," he taught me. "The Lord will eventually make everything right.
This week was definitely
made right in many more ways than I can imagine. I've been an official,
recognized representative of God for a total of 1 year and 2 days. [I think he meant 2 years and 2 days!!] Mozart was
born today 258 years ago; as such, we sang all seven verses of the only song in
the Thai hymnbook that was written by him. The APs tell us we have 158/200
people baptized this month - which has never happened in the history of this
nation. The Lord is hastening His work. Speaking of which, I need to hasten out
of this email. But I need to ask you again to please pray for Ribbon, Amy,
Jennifer, Arti, Rangsan, and Jid. I ask you to please pray for your friends
as well and for ways you can help them find what you have (or the path that you
can too achieve).
PS: If any of you have a
friend you really want to introduce to the gospel but don't know how, just
bring them to your Family Home Evening like we're doing for Amy. Don't have one
weekly? Well have it, or bring that friend to some one you know who does. Teach
how we pray, have an opening prayer, share a scripture, eat, and tell them that
you would like to do it again next week and you'll bring your two friends who
teach about prayer and how to live a fun healthy life. Who doesn't want a fun
happy life? Crazy people. But if you're reading this email, you're most likely
my friend and I don't have friends who don't want to have happy lives... Anyway
try it out and see what the Lord does through YOU to bring the happiness you
have to others.
I love YOU all and until
February (AH! my last month!),
Elder Gibbons
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