Monday, February 20, 2017
What’s crackalakin dear friends and fam on the other hemisphere! I hope you are enjoying some nice soft snow... this week I enjoyed stunning sunsets and beautiful warm winds. I love Thailand. What a beautiful place! I am so grateful to serve in my mission. I love it with all my heart!
Studying in the Park!
The Work:
We have been trying to focus more heavily on Repentance and Baptism with our investigators. Once the investigator makes the decision to open their heart and recognize that God knows better than they do, they are humbled and begin to see the big picture of WHY we need to repent and WHY we need to be baptized. To see that change is a miracle in and of itself. That is why missionaries all around the world do what we do. We get to see that change in people's lives. We have a couple of investigators who are preparing for baptism soon. They are learning how to repent and helping them with that is such an honor. People sometimes ask, "Give us names for people that we can pray for!” Sorry I don't talk about their stories more. I will give you 2 of our progressing investigators.
Brother James - He learned about "Mormons" through the show “South Park.” Kind of a funny way to start learning about our religion but hey, we will take what we can get! He has great questions. Most of his questions involve the word "why....". It is so awesome! He is doing great and is learning to trust in God more and more. The first step is to teach him how to rely on God through prayer. Through prayer, most of his questions can be answered. Prayer rocks!
Sister Chewychai: Sister Chewychai is actually Jame’s friend. She has been learning for about 5 months now. She is really close to opening her heart to the idea that she has found the right church. She just needs to humble herself enough to ask with a sincere heart, and God will answer her immediately! So please pray that she will open her heart.
1st Subway sandwich since Salt Lake City!
Companion is doing GREAT I love Elder Rawlinson. Great guy - we get along great. He is a total stud, and I am learning so much from him!
The Culture:
In Thailand, for high school graduation, there will be a monk who officiates the proceedings, along with beautiful Thai dancing, celebrations, and presentations from each of the classes that graduate. REALLY COOL!
The Funnies:
- We had a Valentine’s activity this week! It was super fun, and we had a ton of people show up. 95 people came! Tons of investigators and awesome members came - it was great! Elder Rawlinson got the bad luck of having to be dressed up like a girl hahahahaha. Everyone was having a ball. One grandma member gave him her scarf and her glasses hahahahaha. We had a great time welcoming Elder Rawlinson into the Udorn family hahahaha.
- So .... I am dyslexic and bought plane tickets to Bangkok for the wrong day... big uh-oh...that hurt my pocket spending money hahahaha. Good thing Thailand is really cheap! Just a classic missionary moment!
- One of the sisters’ investigators got baptized yesterday, and when she got in the font she was like, "This is so cold!" She was so freezing, but she didn't go under the water all of the way 3 times! So the 3rd time she was completely submerged, she came up out of the water and grabbed the wall saying, "Thank you God! That was sooo freezing!" Hahahahaha.
- I forgot my church shoes when I went down to Bangkok for Missionary Leadership Conference... I was afraid I would have to wear my Nikes with my slacks (you can imagine President’s face hahahah). But luckily my old companion who had finished his mission (thanks Elder Rogers) had left his old shoes at the office.... THANK GOODNESS. Thanks Elder ROGERS YOU SAVED ME SOME MAJOR FACE.
Switch off with Elder Cheney! LOVE YOU ELDER!
The Spiritual Thought:
Elder Holland is famous for saying that, "Elders and Sisters make or break their missions from 6:30 am to 9:30 am." We study in that period. With the new schedule change from the missionary department, we now have the flexibility of studying throughout the day whenever we want, wherever we want. This week Elder Rawlinson and I took advantage of that and went to study in the park, in the mall, just random places throughout the city.
Studying at central
IT WAS SO HARD BUT SO FUN. The thing is, when missionaries return home, sometimes they feel lost because they can't find those study hours with a desk and a picture of Jesus every day. It just isn’t realistic. But Elder Rawlinson and I can see the blessings coming from studying in the middle of the day, at night, at random places, because it is training our brains to focus on the Savior of the world while people pass by, while a bus is roaring by, where kids are playing, where sirens scream down the street. We are trying to focus on the scriptures and revelation in the most busy of circumstances... and I have never felt more at peace during those times. I agree with Elder Holland - the times that make or break a missionary are found in the waking up on time, the studies at the park, the language study at 7-11... the world is everywhere around us, so let us embrace it like the Savior did. What better way to enjoy the promptings of the Spirit than while you are in the presence of your big spiritual family. I love studies, and I love my Savior. I have a lot of work left to do here in Thailand, and I can’t wait to walk out the door and try my best. I may only have 3 transfers left on my mission - but I will make the most of them while I can.
MLC
I love and miss you all. Thanks for your prayers!
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Love the Lord and Laugh,
ອັບຣາຮາມ ສະມິດ-ດິກສ
Abraham Smith-Driggs
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