Week 85 - Kalasin T13.W4

Dear Family and Friends,

Thanks you again for all your prayers and support. This week has been up and down for our district. The Sisters got sick at different times, and Elder Christensen has been discouraged because of the language. He tries really hard and then just gives up. It's hard to see that even amid all this I've been much more patient than I thought I would've been. I think it's because the Lord has been helping me a lot. For example, I've had a great experience even today.  While we were reading 2 Nephi 3 in Thai together, he asked what the tone on ที่ and ท่าน were, which is "that" and "you" - two of the most frequently used words in the scriptures. I didn't say it, but I thought: "We're in SECOND Nephi and you STILL can't say these two words right that we've said over 300 times each?" 

Well, we'll come back to that as we recap this morning. I forgot to pay our power bill which you can usually do at any 7-11 (which includes 7000 different locations all over Thailand; yes, that's an actual number; they came out with a book about it too), but now it was overdue a week and we were going to get our power cut if we didn't pay (SOOO been there)... So this morning we went out, found the place out of the city a few kilometers, but then decided to get some food... then get a milk for this guy... and then ate it... and then paid and were late to studies.  By the time we were getting later and later I got more and more anxious until I got stressed - knowing this was a big week and we had a lot to do, and getting off track today could throw us off this week. But not getting to time just made me feel disappointed and like I let my companion down - I showed him that disobedience is now an option. Elder Holland talked about his perfect trainer in a training we had about setting a pattern of perfect obedience and I felt like I let Elder Christensen down, I let President down, and I let the Lord down. Then thought came into my head: "You've been a missionary for NINETEEN MONTHS and you STILL can't get to studies on time and keep my commandments on my timetable?" 

I then remembered where that thought came from - is was the previous study where I was aching that my comp couldn't remember the easy little things after doing them for what I thought was a long time. I wonder how the Lord felt as I failed to perform at the level not only expected of me, but my level of performance. I felt like a mini Enos as I poured my heard to God the whole morning long, asking for forgiveness at many different times. As I read the scriptures during the personal study I was late to, I noticed the faithfulness of Ammon and Lamoni's wife the Queen and felt a new sense and hope to improve. I felt the cleansing effect of the atonement slowly wash over me for the remainder of the morning as I continued to read. I read in Alma 19.  I pictured myself there; Ammon watches a miracle unfold before his very eyes as the King awakes to find his faithful wife by his side. He tells her of the cleansing effect of the Atonement in his life and sinks down to the floor with her in joy. Then I read when Ammon SAW it - that he SAW this happen "after the manner of his prayers" is what is says in Thai. I couldn't read on. As tears started to stream down my face in the middle of this verse, I too felt the power of bringing repentance to this people who need it - to ME who needed it today.  The Lord accepted my plea and I know that Jesus lives - because there's nothing else that could make me feel this way or of a great ancient king with his beautiful queen sink down to their palace floor - being filled with unspeakable, redemptive joy. 

Thanks for letting me share that with you. I want to also say a special congrats to little Dani [Joseph's cousin, Danika Easton] for getting baptized! "This is the way," Nephi reminds us, "and there is no other way whereby man can be saved in the kingdom of God."

I encourage you to reevaluate your life and have the faith that Jesus SAVES because He does for all those who repent and believe. Please repent and have the faith you'll see results. I promise you that sooner or later, if you do it with true intent you will see a difference you can't imagine.

I hope Grandma Holker is feeling better. I hope Dad is as well. I love you all. Thanks for the support. Now my the Lord support you as you repent and come unto Him this week, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Love,

Elder Gibbons

Week 84 - Kalasin T13. W2 - Bold Training and Reunions at District Conference With Elders Gong and Woo

Dear friends and family,

Elder Christensen and I have felt an out pouring of the spirit this week as we have seen miracles from our special training and District Conference. During the special training, which consisted of all three Isaan Zones, we learned about being powerful teachers who answer questions instead of ask them exclusively. Elder Wilimas and I were excited to see each other and he was the king of the Lamanites in a role play as President Senior taught from Ammon's and Aaron's stories (super funny). What I got out of the meeting was to be more bold and love these people more by helping them repent through bold and simple preaching. 

On the way home from the meeting on Friday, I sat next to an Englishman named Barry (yes, out here that IS as rare as you might think to talk to a white guy).  I thought about being the teacher and about answering his questions of the soul - not asking them all the time. Basically, I got to know him and Elder Holland's promise in "Listening" in PMG [Preach My Gospel] chapter 10 came to pass as I listened to him intently and then discussed about his problems in life: about his mother's death and his recent addiction to smoking. I just stated short statements of restored truths in response to his concerns and questions and felt the spirit testify through me - because he was asking according to HIS agency and interest. Now, we have an appointment to eat noodles together and talk more about quitting smoking with his girlfriend.

I think this event helped me prepare for the other unique event that occurred this week. On Sunday after the meeting, Elder [Christiansen] and I were kind of tired and not so upbeat. Great meeting, but we were just not super happy. So, again not knowing what to do, just left the house and got to work. We got out and started working and talked to many people, among whom several accepted to learn. Success started coming as I was more bold and loving (Alma 38:12). But then he had to go to the bathroom. Knowing the only restroom CLOSE to where we were was in 7-11, we headed there and someone took us up the stairs. There was a girl stacking stuff upstairs by herself. Elder [Christiansen] was doing his business, so I just opened my mouth and talked to her. Eventually, I got that she was working here since her dad died 5 years ago. Thinking of Ammon and Aaron and my recent encounter with Barry, I asked her very calmly (almost non-nonchalantly) if she knew that she could see her dad again. Her eyes got wide and said, "REALLY?" 

"Yep," was my only response. 

"Well, do I have to do anything to do that?"

Surprised at the truth of it myself and the situation, I basically said that she needs faith and repentance, but baptism is the real thing she needs. I told her that she would meet with me and my friend and would help her get baptized to see her dad again.  We're seeing her today at 4.

Super cool things have happened as I've applied these things with Elder Christensen. The other cool thing was to see everyone at District Conference (like Stake Conference for Branches) from my old Area of Maha Sarakham. I saw Sister Boo and Tim and their daughter Sen-Sen, Sister Wright who made us awesome American food, and the greatest member missionary Sister Nok whom I nicknamed "Luci" short for Lucifer (that's another funny but long story). Also I saw Elder Woo again, the recently appointed 70 Elder Wilamas and I picked up [from the airport] this April during the Elder Andersen’s visit. He actually saw me and smiled and waved - he remembered me and Elder Wilamas, who were his drivers and his first missionaries he met in Thailand! It was a fun experience. Another fun experience was TRANSLATING for him and Elder and Sister Gong for District Conference.  SUPER hard going from Thai to English if you have no preparation, but the Lord really helped me.

The Lord also helped me in the missionary meeting before conference. Elder Gong asked us to love our companions so much that if we met again after 30 years, we could talk for hours the way Sister Gong once did when they visited her old native comp in Taiwan. He talked about companions being best friends forever - which made me think of Elder Wilamas, then I realized at that moment I was translating for him. I squeezed his shoulder a bit after Elder Gong told that story. Later Elder Yuen, my ZL, told me that that story was for Elder Wilamas and me. I realized this was true as the Lord blessed me greatly that day and has blessed me with a forever best friend in the "King of Korat." 

Outpouring of blessings as we strive to be obedient.  May we all seek to see the blessings in our life as we go through our day-to-day lives.

With Love, 

Elder Gibbons

 

This is the note we received with this photo from Joseph's Mission President, President Senior:   "Elder Gong, the Asia Area President, was in Thailand for District Conference and wanted to share this picture of your missionary and companion. Elder Gibbons is a wonderful missionary and Sister Senior and I love working with him. Thank you for sharing your son with us.

President and Sister Senior"

Week 83 - Kalasin T13.W2

Hello Everyone!

Thanks again for all the prayers as we have reaped the blessings abundantly with the Baptism of Sister แตน (Dtaan) and little ขิงๆ (King King). We taught them and they were so great. I felt so honored as King King wanted me to baptize her. Her testimony was so cute! She basically got up there and giggled for a minute long and squeaked out the word ดีใจ (or "glad") and sat down. Dtaan's was similar to King King's and my other investigator Ruamsap from Sisaket as she said she can't speak Thai very well (sometimes she just mostly speaks Lao to me in her lessons - which REALLY gives Elder Christensen a spin!), but that she wanted to be a new person. Seeing her not chew her gosh-awful blood-red sludge has really given me a joy I can't describe. 

We're still working with other people and investigators as Elder Khanakham - one of the Mission councilers who is one of my best friends who I worked with in my first area - and he blessed us with a lot of success. I love you all and I'm excited for District Conference in Roi-Et (stake conference for branches).

But our investigator, Raugh, is struggling to keep the Sabbath day holy. So we're working on that. Sister Ple (or pronounced Bun), the wife of a less-active we are working with, is probably coming to church in Roi-Et (another neighboring province) and were happy about that. The girl whom we found that had the Book of Mormon had a death in her extended family so we haven't seen her. More coming later. Until then, thank you soooooo much for the prayers and love as I have needed it! I love you and miss you all! 

Love,

Elder Gibbons

Week 82 - Training in Kalasin T13.W1

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.

Week 81 - Kalasin T12.W5 "We do not doubt...our Mothers KNEW it"

Happy Mother's Day Everyone!

Or Everyone in Thailand at the very least. Today, August 12th, is Her Majesty's birthday - which means it's mother's day. Everyone is off school and work, buying gifts and doing Buddhist stuff for their แม่ (Mae, or Mother). All these festivities have made me think of one of the greatest people in my life - my แม่ Mae! But oddly enough, it makes me think of my Father - my Heavenly Father. 

While talking about Mothers Days and Fathers Days with a member who we're trying to get back to church and trying to help his wife investigate the church, he said that every Sunday could be Father's Day - why? because the Sabbath Day is the Father's Day, right? Kind of funny... His name is X (or changed to Pat) and his wife's name is Ple (like the second syllable of "ApPLE"  but Thai people can't say Ls at the ends of word; they say Ns and thus it's pronounced "Bun"). Buster is their cute little devil-baby who is the epitome of terrible twos. Getting them back to church is something we've been working on, but didn't happen this week. In fact NO ONE came to church this week whom we and the sisters worked with. It was sort of sad, but we must keep the good in mind, because the rest of this week have been miracles.

I mention Mother's Day specifically because of the Faith of my mother. I love her so much. To me in my mind, she is the greatest example of a missionary, because she gave her all for us kids and loved us more than she loved herself; I try and try and try to be like the kind of "missionary" she was then to me then and is now. As Helaman recalls (and as I apply to myself) the Stripling Warriors were only stripling because of the mothers who raised them. Because of my mother, it could be written that,

 [I] did think more upon [my investigators] than they did upon [my life]; yea, [I] had been taught by [my] mother, that if [I] did not doubt, God would deliver [me]...saying: [I] do not doubt [my] mother knew it. (Alma 56:47-48)

If I may be so bold as to give a specific example, I would mention her power testimony of prayer that was made manifest this week. 

Remember Sister Dtaan and her grandaughter King King? Well we gave her a baptismal date for the 21st of September, which was a bit shaky from her part. But then after this week, the week I asked us all to pray for her, she told us (not asked us) if she could be baptized by the end of THIS month! 

She has been doing sooo great and been chewing less and less - even some days she doesn't even chew at all! Her gospel knowledge is growing and growing in just the space of a week. I KNOW with everything that is within me that this miracle came to pass because MY mother knew it - she knew that Sister Dtaan could quit and get baptized to experience the true and lasting happiness that comes from this restored gospel. Her progression is a direct result of your prayer and faith, mom. Thank you so much for helping. I thank you and all who read this last letter for pouring your heart and soul into mighty prayer to trust in God, or in other words, to "[rely] wholly upon the merits of him who is mighty to save" (2 Nephi 31:19). 

May we all on this wonderful mother's day rely on him who is mighty to save through the power of prayer is my prayer in the name of Jesus Christ, our Savior. Amen.

Love,

Elder Gibbons

PS: I will need to rely on His saving merits especially this next week as President gave me the call this Saturday and asked me if I could accept the assignment as Trainer for this next transfer. Thank you for your prayers, but now I ask for some more that I might be able to catch up the work my mother's prayers are giving me here in Kalasin Province!