Hello friends and family!
This could be my last week in Sisaket, but after today, it is highly unlikely. The office Elders informed me that President Senior has asked me to do a special musical number entitled "For Our Day" (which I've never before heard or sung) for a special mission tour where Elder Watson, the Asia area Seventy, will visit every zone in Thailand - pray for me, na? :) I'm super blessed to be here in Sisaket representing the Lord in the Ubon Zone.
Speaking of representing, I want to give a shout out to my home-ward-hommies Zach and Josh! Zach and I will be right next door - probably in the same time zone! But all three of us will be preachin' in short-sleeves! And I want to give another shout out to Jess and Katelyn who will be preachin' with many Elders wearing short-sleeves as well. (Kirstie I hope you can come back to your native land here in Thailand and hopin to hear from Em Sciam!)
Roll up those sleeves, because missionary work is runnin hot this time of year (unless you're Elder Worthington tearing it up in the snow! Keep it up Bates and also Sister Snell who's not far behind him) especially with the baptism of probably one of my favorite investigators - Sister Ruamsap. A 65-year-old spurt of fire, Sister Ruamsap had a much different background growing up in a very different family situation - let's just say that between picking up her sister from school she was busy in her shooting classes with rifles, pistol, etc. She has three cars from her previous occupation (of which I cannot mention at this time), two of which are Mercedes Benz, and she likes the green one best. She's maybe 5' 1" and rocks her sunglasses. But she also rocks the Book of Mormon harder than any investigator I've met. I started teaching her a month after Elder Chamberlain left Elder Terry here. She went to a different province forever and then called up and wanted to learn again. We'd go into her house and sit on the chairs and she's get her little pillow and plop down on it in front of us to listen. She's a little older, so her memory isn't as good, but she won't ever stop bearing testimony. There's not a lesson where we wouldn't hear: ฉันไม่พูดเก่ง แต่ฉันจะปฏิบัติตามเก่ง! (I don't speak gang, but I'll follow the teachings gang) Gang (เก่ง) is the only word to describe her - which is the word for expertly, with skill, etc. She loves speaking the two or three English things she now and always waves goodbye saying "Goodnight, Sir!" Other Ruamsap highlights include: in her prayer to thank Joseph Smith that he saw the Holy Ghost, the lesson where in the prayer she thanked Heavenly Father for "Terry" (my comp) and "gosh, that other guy who's name I can never remember, ok?" referring to HIS comp - me. After she got my mane down, she worked on "Tomat Ed Monsaen", and really did "ปฏิบัติตาม gang" everything else. When we taught the Ten Commandments, she got up from the lesson, went to her car and pulled out all the idols and trinkets, rings and bracelets of Buddhism she had and put them on the table - including a priceless heirloom that came from His Majesty the King Himself. But perhaps one of the best moments was when we in a lesson talking about the Book of Mormon - which she FINNISHED once we found out before that - and learned that she finished it before that. Even the member, Ma Pet, actually grabbed the book from her hand and asked, "Sister, you mean to say you've finished THIS before that time?" "Yeah, this will be my fifth time through," she answered calmly and confidently. Yes. Sister Ruamsap has read up to Helaman for the 5th time round and hadn't even know how to donate fast offerings. At her baptism, she bore the greatest testimony I've almost ever heard: "I used to be an angry person, but now I will follow everything. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen." E. Terry baptized her but it was almost Elder Frondburg (our New Missionary) because when we asked her who she wanted to baptize her Elder Frondburg snuck into the room to grab his Preach My Gospel and left. She then turned to Elder Terry and said "oh how about that guy who just came in and grabbed his book?" But after we just started laughing in surprise she said, "Well, actually I'll have Terry do it cuz I'm tightest with him." She looked so great in her white baptism gown (that she just tried on in front of all of us the first time) while we took pictures. She was stone-faced in all of them because when she says something, she'll do it. But finally as everyone was going into the church I caught her just standing there, so I said, "Sister, Smile!" and gave me one of the greatest grins I've seen that expressed on one who has repented through faith on Christ and is ready to follow everything gang.
This could be my last week in Sisaket, but after today, it is highly unlikely. The office Elders informed me that President Senior has asked me to do a special musical number entitled "For Our Day" (which I've never before heard or sung) for a special mission tour where Elder Watson, the Asia area Seventy, will visit every zone in Thailand - pray for me, na? :) I'm super blessed to be here in Sisaket representing the Lord in the Ubon Zone.
Speaking of representing, I want to give a shout out to my home-ward-hommies Zach and Josh! Zach and I will be right next door - probably in the same time zone! But all three of us will be preachin' in short-sleeves! And I want to give another shout out to Jess and Katelyn who will be preachin' with many Elders wearing short-sleeves as well. (Kirstie I hope you can come back to your native land here in Thailand and hopin to hear from Em Sciam!)
Roll up those sleeves, because missionary work is runnin hot this time of year (unless you're Elder Worthington tearing it up in the snow! Keep it up Bates and also Sister Snell who's not far behind him) especially with the baptism of probably one of my favorite investigators - Sister Ruamsap. A 65-year-old spurt of fire, Sister Ruamsap had a much different background growing up in a very different family situation - let's just say that between picking up her sister from school she was busy in her shooting classes with rifles, pistol, etc. She has three cars from her previous occupation (of which I cannot mention at this time), two of which are Mercedes Benz, and she likes the green one best. She's maybe 5' 1" and rocks her sunglasses. But she also rocks the Book of Mormon harder than any investigator I've met. I started teaching her a month after Elder Chamberlain left Elder Terry here. She went to a different province forever and then called up and wanted to learn again. We'd go into her house and sit on the chairs and she's get her little pillow and plop down on it in front of us to listen. She's a little older, so her memory isn't as good, but she won't ever stop bearing testimony. There's not a lesson where we wouldn't hear: ฉันไม่พูดเก่ง แต่ฉันจะปฏิบัติตามเก่ง! (I don't speak gang, but I'll follow the teachings gang) Gang (เก่ง) is the only word to describe her - which is the word for expertly, with skill, etc. She loves speaking the two or three English things she now and always waves goodbye saying "Goodnight, Sir!" Other Ruamsap highlights include: in her prayer to thank Joseph Smith that he saw the Holy Ghost, the lesson where in the prayer she thanked Heavenly Father for "Terry" (my comp) and "gosh, that other guy who's name I can never remember, ok?" referring to HIS comp - me. After she got my mane down, she worked on "Tomat Ed Monsaen", and really did "ปฏิบัติตาม gang" everything else. When we taught the Ten Commandments, she got up from the lesson, went to her car and pulled out all the idols and trinkets, rings and bracelets of Buddhism she had and put them on the table - including a priceless heirloom that came from His Majesty the King Himself. But perhaps one of the best moments was when we in a lesson talking about the Book of Mormon - which she FINNISHED once we found out before that - and learned that she finished it before that. Even the member, Ma Pet, actually grabbed the book from her hand and asked, "Sister, you mean to say you've finished THIS before that time?" "Yeah, this will be my fifth time through," she answered calmly and confidently. Yes. Sister Ruamsap has read up to Helaman for the 5th time round and hadn't even know how to donate fast offerings. At her baptism, she bore the greatest testimony I've almost ever heard: "I used to be an angry person, but now I will follow everything. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen." E. Terry baptized her but it was almost Elder Frondburg (our New Missionary) because when we asked her who she wanted to baptize her Elder Frondburg snuck into the room to grab his Preach My Gospel and left. She then turned to Elder Terry and said "oh how about that guy who just came in and grabbed his book?" But after we just started laughing in surprise she said, "Well, actually I'll have Terry do it cuz I'm tightest with him." She looked so great in her white baptism gown (that she just tried on in front of all of us the first time) while we took pictures. She was stone-faced in all of them because when she says something, she'll do it. But finally as everyone was going into the church I caught her just standing there, so I said, "Sister, Smile!" and gave me one of the greatest grins I've seen that expressed on one who has repented through faith on Christ and is ready to follow everything gang.
[This is my favorite part...his English is terrible! So, that can only mean his Thai is improving!!]
May we too, all ปฏิบัติตาม
gang" everything the Lord has in store of us. Thanks everyone of your prayers. The fruits of your heaven-sent thoughts were definitely
manifest this week for sure. That's all
for now! Love y'all.
Elder Gibbons
