Week 66 - Back in the Beast T10.W3

Sorry I couldn't get this through last week. But I 'll try to answer one at a time: [I asked him a few questions.]

I can usually only do emails on Saturday; I personally think it's great for the Family to do on Sunday night - a great Sunday activity that I would like to continue in our home when I get home - but for while I'm in the office, It'll have to be Friday. I'll be in here no more than 6th months so it'll go back to normal. 

Being District Leader over the Heavy-Hitters is super fun because I still receive revelation for each and every one - like I gave some council to Elder Heap after he and Elder Segura (one of our Zone Leaders) took flack and got chewed out by someone in the church office. Elder Heap was upset, but his personality will not let him show it. But we talked about it to him and then told him something strange: I told him that this experience was one that will prepare him for a bigger trial in the future. Weird huh? But later that next day he said he was comforted by those words when he and Elder Mateos missed their flight to another zone in the Isaan. The Lord works with us and I'm grateful for it.

I live with the APs on the 4th floor in a 14-story condo. Just give you a picture: In Mahasarakham, we slept and studied in a room that had two mattresses in it; both mattresses touching each other and three walls. Then we had two study desks that almost touched our beds - not to mention our chairs. Now, my bedroom is bigger than the front walkway and our sleeping quarters of the house in Sarakham. So "itz preedy sweet, I guess" (that's supposed to be Kip's voice...) [From Napoleon Dynamite]

So that was last week. This week has been a real challenge - just like when Nephi broke his bow. It takes true perspective to see the big picture. Challenges in the office work, getting along with someone new, and other things were challenges, but in the hind sight are just stumbling blocks that take some energy to crawl up and hoist yourself over. But then sometimes in the hoisting yourself over part, you just get stuck. You're flat on your belly just trying to get higher but you can't do it. So you pray and Christ helps you up. I don't really know how He does it, but all I know is that I couldn't do it, I prayed, and it was eventually worked out after all we can do. "It's by grace we are saved, after all we can do." -Nephi

And grace played a big role in helping me get through my first two baptismal interviews: ตาต้า (Tah TAH), a whiny funny 19 yr-old Thai girl, and Esther, a 23 year-old student from The Congo (yeah, she's black, ok?). Ta ta was so ready and so fun to talk to about her conversion story. Esther has some kind of elegant grace that makes me think she is way older than she is. She has been prepared to find this place by too many miracles to count. During her interview, I was touched by many things she said like, "When you dress appropriately, you attract the right people." Profound, as she related that she and her parents had some disputes when she was younger like when her dad burned all her short-shorts... To my lady friends who read this: if you want a solid guy, follow Esther's advice, filter your options, and your Prince Charming with find YOU. Ask yourself "what kind of a Prince do I want to find me?" Weird thoughts coming from a guy, but these experience have helped me in my life.

Too much more to say, but too little time. Thank you for your time. Thank you for your prayers. Thanks mom for those scriptures - I never understood those gifts of administration until I had to administer... Sweet. Keep praying for our district, my companion who is in the top 10 greatest people I may have met, who has insomnia. 

It's time to go, I love you all,

Elder Gibbons

PS: HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY BABY SISTER!!!!!!!!

Week 65 - Switching P-Day's to Saturday

[Note from Mom: From last week's letter we were a little confused as to where Joseph is and what he is doing, so I asked him a few questions.  I was shocked to see I had an email from him on Friday night!  So, since he didn't really get to write a letter this week, this is it!]

Yeah, the transfer was a super short on because the changes in the MTC and stuff... "In the Office" means that I'm doing what dad did in HIS mission and doing all the things an office elder does; like baptism records, arranges the transfer boards, sends bicycles up to Chiang Mai when big buses won't take them because of the water festival holiday, drives home in big city traffic (so you can pray for me to drive on the right side in ASIAN traffic). Today (Saturday) is now my p-day but I'm only going to send a little bit today. The rest will come on Monday. [Actually, we didn't get anything else on Monday. :( ]

BTW Elder วิลามาศ (Wilimas) is a Thai from the Ubon Province, which is just to the right of Sisaket (sorry I spelled that wrong a few weeks ago). He's super new in the office and he and his two little brothers are the only members. If you want to shoot him an email, that'd be cool:

narongrirt.wilamas@myldsmail.net

We both don't really know what we're doing here-me more than him - but we're relying on the Lord to pull through, or pull US through. Super fun here because I'm "first and foremost a missionary" (Pres Senior) and I look after the center of Bangkok with the Assistants and Zone Leaders. Actually, it's rather strange. I'm district leader over the Zone Leaders and the Assistants to the President, and Elder Wilamas! Hehe fun but it really is. Elder Heap (whose brother played quarterback - ask dad about him) is a big teady bear full of love and Elder Mateos (my DL who came into Samut Prakaan with me at the same time I did) whom I've always looked up to, is our other Assistant. It's super fun and I love it.

Well, that's all I can do for today. That's actually pretty long - I might just count that as my blog unless you have any other questions that do not exceed the number of ten. ;)

Love you so much!

Elder Gibbons

PS: Here's Songkran round 2 at the Srinakhrin Church with some of my favorite people (R to L):

Yours truly; Sister Itri (Danielle Brownelle's friend too); Elder Wilamas; some sister I don't know; 
(ground level) Sister Wiganda - one of my favorite people ever. 
She's one of the first ever Sister Leaders (a female DL) 
She's super funny and just sent this to us today!

Week 64 - Back in the Beast T10.W1

Hello Everyone,

Thank you for the prayers. My new assignment as needed it and I've felt as if I have been riding a wave of support in prayers. Basically, I'm kind of fulfilling my dream. Ever since I got into the mission, I have wanted to serve in Asoke - the heart of Bangkok. Now that I am an office elder, I have pretty much fulfilled my dream. Subway rides. Indoor gym. Having enchiladas at the President's private apartment. Dinner appointments on the 36th floor of the US Ambassador's assistant's condo. It really is the high life here and I'm loving every minute of it.

Elder Williams ("Wii-la-MAAD") is my new comp from Ubon - we love each other so much and it's great to work together. We even planned a whole planning session in the Isaan language. SO intense!

I miss the Isaan; I'm wearing a belt Sister Boo gave me on my last Sunday. But it has been a blessing listening to conference - especially with investigators. Sister Farm got a lot out of it and we've have blessings to spread to good word. I'm in the Thai branch here (not the international one) but I've already had the opportunity to use some of my embarrassing French and Portuguese. It's going to take some getting used to - to be speaking Thai, turn around and welcome Sister Cecille - the craziest southern French lady whom I love so dearly - and have a conversation with someone in English.

I love it here. My first week was hectic and peaceful and I had no idea what to do but then take solace in that same fact. President was walking by one day - my first day I saw him in the office. I shot a quick "Hi President" because he looked busy. But then he stopped dead in his tracks, turned his body completely around to face me, and threw up his arms wide. His eyes got really big and he then shouted: "ELDER GIBBONS!!" and pounced on me in a big hug. If that's not a dream welcome, I don’t' know what is.

It's super fun here, wish I could explain more but I gtg.

Love you all. PRAY ALWAYS.

 Elder Gibbons

Week 63 - Mahasarakham Week of Miracles

[I will preface this by saying that his Thai must be getting better because he has been living with a Thai companion...thus his English is suffering a bit!  Here is his letter, unedited:]

Hello Everyone!

So here I am - 3 days from my year mark here in MuangThai (Thailand).  I'm excited of Anna to open in Saturday's Warrior and Dad to open in his great Celeb game!

And dad - THE ONE TIME I am not there Kurt Bestor and David Osmond are coming to play?! And you talk about roast? Dad that's not even fair.  But to answer your question, I don't yet have sisters in my district so that might balance all that hurt out. Haha! People just tell me that having sisters in a district makes it harder. I don't believe them though.  Remember how my MTC group was supposed to be the largest group in history? Well, it was, with a whopping 16 missionaries that took up more than two tables sometimes in the lunchroom. Now this next transfer on the 11th (my 1 year mark in the field exactly) there will be THIRTY-FIVE new missionaries coming in. 60% of the mission will be training or being trained. Trainers have already been called and I'm not one of them. That means that I'm among the 40% left to follow up with their growth. Sisters are also exploding into areas. We might get sisters, but who knows. What I DO know is that my last area in Bangkok is getting white-watched by Sisters! It's something I can talk about more when I'm home because it's an absolute miracle.

One other miracle: Remember the girl, Sister Khwan, we invited to church and I had to wade through the shin-deep water to get there? Well, let's just say she's getting baptized - in Laos! After we left, Elder Staten continued to teach her and she was doing great. Then one day, he asked her, "Hey aren't you Laotian?" Flabbergasted, she stammered, "Yes! Yea, I am! How did you know?" Without thinking about it, he said because my comp told him. But Elder Merkley was as shocked as much as I was. If he know, he would've told me. Nobody know but Elder Staten said it somehow. And he HAPPENED to have one of the only Lao copies of the Book of Mormon in the Mission, and gave it to her.  She is progressing rapidly he says and met with a Laotian sister missionary in Bangkok....

And know she is going to serve a mission from Laos.  Sister Vanna, who is finishing her mission this week, said Sister Khwan can live with her and she'll find her a job. She will be coming to moves meeting and probably heading back up there with her.

It makes me think of that gloomy, rainy morning where we almost didn't invite her to church because "no one comes when it's raining." Someone told me that in the house that morning and I shouted back at him: "WHERE is your FAITH?" Faith is a gift that we must beg for and then reap after long and often hard trials. I'm glad the Lord allowed me to have faith that day. It's NOTHING that I did but it's everything that God did to prepare his children. Faith is a hope in things not seen. I would like to add: Faith is a hope in things not seen AT FIRST.  Because the Lord wouldn't let me give up on Sister Khwan THEN, I'm seeing the unimaginable results NOW.

But that's just in Bangkok - Last week the APs came here and did a three-way switch-off here and two senior couples came who live in my first area (Don Muang). We had too many miracles to count with 3 investigators that came to church, 2 walk-ins (which happens next to never) , and 14 people that haven't been to church in MONTHS. I got to see my investigator Sister Boo with her mother in law and her grandmother whom we're been working with. I got to see Ma Cham (her grandma in law) cradle Sister Boo's little girl, San-San. Families are coming back and finding peace. Our work has been shedding itself aboard in this land. I testify to everyone who has read my words that they are true.  I testify that PRAYER CHANGES THINGS. If you're stuck in life, or if you know someone that is stuck in life, I encourage you to pray, then pray for them, then encourage THEM to pray. You will be helped as you do this I promise in the name of the Lord. He will not leave helpless any who uphold His work in any manner. Then what? Just open the book. Do you think you won't be guided by His hand of you put forth that much effort to do just that?  Just pray and open that book that holds it all together. That's my challenge to you. I know that because I had been reading from that book that week of rain in Bangkok a woman will go forth from her country to change other's lives. Faith: hope in things not seen AT FIRST. Keep praying. Keep reading. Keep repenting daily - this is my prayer for you.

Sincerely,
Elder Gibbons

Week 62 - Sarakham Week 2 Blessings and opposition in the Atonement

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!  :)

Week 61 - Mahasarakham T9W1 Following the Spirit, Welcoming Sister Wiganda

Hello Everyone!

"Today is a great one. Why? Because I made it so. Elder Kunz helped me understand that at the amazing zone conference.... It's also great because the Spirit taught me today why I wake up in the morning: I now wake up for someone else. And if I play my cards right in this life, I will always: today for my investigators, at home for my wife, and after that for my children. If we always see the day ahead of us for someone else, it becomes quite a task to sleep in. My mother has been a great example of this for me my whole life. For some reason, I've felt an increased level of peace in my life, my area, and my work, and I didn't know why at first. But from my family's email just now, I know that it's because I have the best missionary mother I could ever ask for and more. She has been praying for me...to fulfill my purpose in bringing others to come unto Christ - especially for my being a new leader in the mission."

This was a portion of my letter to President Senior and it sums up well what's going on these days. We got to hear a super cool zone conference up in Udonthani (which is 5 hours away from here and almost to Laos). Being a missionary leader is super fun when I thought it would be stressful. But thank all of you for your prayers – especially my angel mother and father (both of them). I feel the influence of friends, family, and their love daily. I feel the presence of Max daily as Elder Sae-dan in him as a Northern Thai. Oh my he's super funny and smart. "USE YOUR BRAIN, ELDER SCHAD!!" He yells at Elder Schad often. Sometimes when he speaks (when he's SUPER Sarcastic) he'll mess up his tones or stretch them mercilessly - that's totally funny to someone who speaks in tones so I don't know if that's funny or not.... He's super good at listening and is perhaps one of the 5 of the 65,000,000 Khon Thai (Thai person(s)) who correct Thai well. The rest just laugh, make you feel stupid, or both at the same time. He's patient and a blast to work with.

This week we've experienced miracles one after another. Time's restraint only allows me to share one or two.

We have a new baptismal dater named "Boo" (Crab) and her 1 year old daughter is cuter than you'd believe. We're working with her in-laws who are a big part of the branch that aren't active.  But we've been working with many people who are less active like Sister Dtoo - a 200+ lb Issan lady through and through. Good thing I can sort of pick up on this crazy dialect people speak over here. She is "Super less active" as Sister Wiganda would say, but we helped her take off of idle-worship necklace and she's praying again. We found another less active by completely following the spirit. We were going to go to one place after giving Boo a date, but we just rode on. "I want to park at that building" I found myself saying. So we got there and wondered around but then saw this lady sitting at her shop. "She looks like she's going to reject us," I thought. So we went up to her and said hello. Then she asked if we were Mormon (a SUPER rare question) and we found out that she was in a family who were almost all members in another province in the Isaan. She was rather cold but explained when she saw us wandering around, she prayed they (us) wound come talk to her. And while we were talking, Sister Wiganda and her mom showed up out of nowhere. It was a miracle indeed and we will continue to work with Sister Yaa and her sister who is not yet a member to find greater peace.

Speaking of Sister Wiganda, she came back home (OUR BRANCH) for some medical reasons and is going to head back out. She and I were น้องเขียว (Greenies) together in Don Muang and we've been great friends ever since. We've been working with her wonderful mom (Sister oot) and when Sister Wiganda cane back home everyone was excited. She's hilarious too and will be in our district for just a bit, but it was a blessing to see her again.

The Lord’s more that aware of His children here, and He is aware of you. Thank you for your faith and don't you give up on inviting your friends to investigate this gospel. I promise with all the energy of my heart and soul that it's the avenue for greatest happiness. I know that because I've seen it clearer than day while serving here. It’s not just another religion that teaches to be good. But it teaches us to FEEL GOOD as we repent and feel the peace that can come from nowhere else.

I love you all and until next week,

Elder Gibbons