Monday, November 30, 2015

This past week...


This past week...

Dear Mom,

This past week has been great, and full of miracles. It feels weird and also exciting that Katelyn is already back. It feels like she just left! I talked to my companion about the Blads. He says he's probably most definitely related to them. Among all the miracles this past week, there was also another large Thai holiday/festival that happened Wednesday night. It's called looy kra thong (ลอยกระธง) or floating flags. People made a bunch of boats, lit them, and push them out into the water. An RC hand-made our boats for us. Specially hand carved large yellow wax flower. They worked on them for several days, staying up late. Felt bad that didn't get better pictures. We had a great time inviting people. There were so many people and a big parade as well. We had the chance to invite parade walkers again. Most of the people there were girls and it seems like while we invite them to learn about Christ at church, and they invite us to get married at church. Good times. #ฝรั่ง

For Thanksgiving, we shared what we're thankful for and then ate some food.

This week, we'll have zone conference. We'll receive some good training, and we'll also get sister missionaries in Sakon Nakhorn! We're really excited to see the branch grow even more. This morning, we took an hour and prayfully thought through who we were going to give the sisters to work with. It was actually a very hard decision. I felt like we didn't want to 'give' any of them away.

I've noticed many, many blessings that have occurred in just these past few days. We've been able to meet and talk to many new people as well as to help many progress and come unto Christ. I've felt an increased outpouring of mercy and the Spirit in Sakon Nakhorn this past week.

I've been feeling a little stressed and disappointed recently, to the point where some members even commented on it. They pointed out that I had changed and wasn't the same person I was when I first got to Sakon Nakhorn. I took that and reflected on the past few transfers. A long talk with some amazing members and missionaries later and I can honestly say that since that moment I've noticed and felt a change in the Spirit. I learned that no matter where we are, we always need to take a step back and evaluate who we are, were we want to be going, and what we want out of life/our experiences. This is also something that our zone leaders talked to us about just a few days before so it definitely shows that it must be true.

We taught an amazing new investigator this past week who has a strong desire to learn. We started off the lesson as normal and told them if they had any questions or wanted to know anything specific, to ask. It didn't even feel like we had to teach a lesson - it felt as if they taught themself. They asked a lot of questions and we were able to teach in a way that I've rarely seen before. They seemed to absorb information like a sponge and asked a lot of really good, relevant questions. She'll get baptized for sure.

We were also able to meet with a few more families this past week. We met the mom of an investigator who had no hesitations in giving their child permission to be baptized. As a matter of fact, the mom actually expressed such a strong desire for her two kids to grow up well that she cried several times and was more than willing to accept us over again. As we met with her, some Jehovah Witness missionaries stopped by as well. What a coincidence.

On Sunday, I was very, very anxious for investigators to come to church. I think I prayed more in that meeting than any other sacrament meeting before. One investigator that we've been working with didn't come to church at first. When I called the morning before church they said they probably wouldn't come for several reasons. They were making much progress and this was something that would really help them. My heart literally sank and I immediately thought about agency. How sometimes if people really can't come, we can't force them. However, I felt like the Spirit literally guided what I said because after a fairly long conversation over the phone addressing concerns, they showed up at church. At the end of the phone call I sat and prayed and felt "weighed down with much desire and anxiety". As soon as I told myself that no matter what happens, I was still going to be optimistic and work on helping other people at church- they showed up. I felt like my prayers were answered and stressed relieved when they showed up at church - and also willing to stay for the entire time. We didn't have any investigators at church as sacrament started, but they began to trickle in which was a large faith builder and miracle.

Another miracle is an investigator first taught a few weeks ago. They were able to come to church for all three hours last week and will get baptized this week. They, too, are awesome.

I feel like a period of trial has brought a period of blessing as well. We were continually obedient and diligent and in the end, it will of course always pay off. There are many more miracles that we have seen, but I feel like these are the largest. The Lord is in His work and is always preparing people to hear and accept the Gospel. Always be looking for ways to share the Gospel.

-We ate dog jerky last Monday. Translated to: Heavenly Meat
-Floating boats. Mine is on the left - the one with the giant yellow flower.
-Thanksgiving. So much fruit. We did have mashed potatoes though. อร่อย
-Hospital visit.
-We'll go house searching for the sisters.
-I'm way behind on getting a haircut.
-We visited an investigator at the university. Visiting schools in Thailand is just a bad idea. No matter what age range. People are just not accustomed to westerners.

-- 

ขอแสดงความนับถือ,                                           Sincerely,
เอ็ลเดอร์ ซัน                                                        Elder Sun
ผู้สอนศาสนา                                                                 Missionary 
ศาสนจักรของพระเยซูคริสต์แห่งวิสุทธิชนยุคสุดท้าย         The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
คณะเผยแผ่ กรุงเทพฯ, ประเทศไทย                                   Bangkok, Thailand Mission

Monday, November 23, 2015

Thanksgiving is coming

Dear Mom,

Happy Thanksgiving! The branch is planning a Thanksgiving, and pretty soon, a big Christmas activity. I hope your holidays will be great, too! It's crazy to think that this will be my second Christmas/Thanksgiving. Oh how time has flown by. I can't sum up how I feel better than Sister McCuen did in her email. I'm grateful to be a missionary, feel love for people, and learn to rely and trust on the Lord.

Sakon Nakhorn only has one district. Elder Blad could be related to the Blads that we know...I actually never thought about it. What are the Blads' names? Oh, and I'm way, way excited for Sister Sun!! And for Diana to move to Wisconsin.

 

Focusing on what the Lord wants me to do helps me keep my challenges/responsibilities in perspective. There are many, many things to do, and we can do all things through the Lord. The things that are least important get pushed to the back burners until time comes around. Sometimes that means eating meals, buying groceries, or washing clothes. When we follow the Spirit in our decision making, we are guaranteed to not make the wrong choice.

 

I feel like the biggest cause of decrease in church attendance and baptisms is a combination of the Lord's will and the will of His servants. He can do all things on His own, for sure. He allows us to take part in His work to learn, grow, and make mistakes. The Lord is very patient in letting imperfect people preach His perfect Gospel. We don't have to do it alone, however.


This week I've learned a lot from all of the missionaries in our district. This past week our companionship has had a semi rough time with teaching appointments and filling our time with meaningful activities - just things that test our faith. I've definitely learned the value of patience and effective planning. Training and being a district means a lot of planning, accountability, and stress. It definitely feels very different to be planning mostly everything everyday and having to know and do so much, but the Lord qualifies those He calls as we rely on Him.

The small things can make a big difference. Small acts of kindness can show a lot of love. Little problems with obedience can bring to pass big results over a period of time. Whenever I think about investigators who may not be progressing, I think about what it is that we can do in order to be more obedient, have the Spirit more, and then what their needs are. As a mission, we have been challenged to do a '40 day fast'. Pray, and seek for personal relevance about what we can do to be more consecrated to the work. To change whatever it is that we need to in order to be able to have the Spirit with us more and become closer to the Lord. It is, has I have noticed these past few weeks, very, very difficult. I repeatingly find myself kneeling at the end of each day and asking for forgiveness for the same weaknesses that I've been working to overcome since the beginning. Change is hard. For Alma the younger and many others, it was exceeding painful, but the end result is the joy and Spirit that we receive as we come closer to the Lord.

One major miracle that we've seen this week was on last Monday. As we were making a lot of calls trying to meet with new investigators, we were able to meet with a really awesome, interested man, who has progressed a lot in just a short amount of time. We first met him two months ago, but could never meet him. He has since met with us everyday this past week and has accepted the challenge to be baptized. I believe this obvious, large miracle, is a major sign of the Lord's mercy in our lives, evidence of people who are really ready to accept the Gospel, and the fruits of exact obedience and having the Spirit be the focus of teaching. All of the lessons with him have been "smooth" and I can honestly say that the desire of those who are prepared to learn is such that their attitude is one that is conducive to the Spirit as well. Our experiences with him is one of the things that has made me look at how we teach as well. The 'training' videos that we received at transfers have also had a large part in changing how I've looked at teaching. While we are teaching the gospel, consider carefully the concept we are teaching. Teach it simply so that our investigator cannot fail to understand it. Then, make it clear through our enthusiasm for the concept that we truly believe it. While teaching, we consider how the principle not only applies to the investigator, but how it applies to us. We teach in a way that the Spirit not only bears testimony to an investigator, but to us also. When the Spirit bears witness to us as we teach, the influence of the Spirit will also be felt by the investigator and bear witness to them as well. If the Spirit bears witness to us while we are teaching, the Spirit will also bear witness to the investigator. The Spirit will testify to both us and to the investigator, and we will "rejoice together." Conversely, if the Spirit does not bear witness to our soul each time you teach, then we can't expect the Spirit to bear witness to the investigator. This is a thought that President Johnson shared with us from D&C 50:17-22. The key is simplicity, conviction, and the Spirit.

There are definitely many other things that have occurred this week that I would consider miracles. We had an LA that we've been working with for a while come back to church. There are many people who have experienced conversion and felt the power of God's love, but over time just allow distractions to have too large of an influence in their lives in place of that spirituality that used to be there.

I am continuously impressed with my companion, Elder Blad. He is always working hard, looking for ways to improve, and also has a fine-tuned ear for the Spirit. I am often surprised at his wisdom that he shows in studies. He is also making great progress in his language ability. He is beginning to becoming more confident and not as afraid to open his mouth. Sometimes I get into a bad mindset that since he's new and doesn't know how to do/say a lot I need to make up for it, which is true, but at the same time, pushing him out of his comfort zone is one thing that will make him grow the most.

Tomorrow, our zone leaders are going to go on switch offs with us. They are going to split us up so we have three companionships. I'm excited to see how much we can get down with three companionships and for the feedback on what we can do better from the zone leaders. When we also get sisters in Sakon Nakhorn, I guess it will be like this, too, so it'll be a 'test-run'.

We have many investigators that we are trying to work with and will continue to see miracles as the Lord's hand is revealed to us.

What I read this morning:
Helaman 3:24-27 "And it came to pass that in this same year there was exceedingly great prosperity in the church, insomuch that there were thousands who did join themselves unto the church and were baptized unto repentance. And so great was the prosperity of the church, and so many the blessings which were poured out upon the people, that even the high priests and the teachers were themselves astonished beyond measure. And it came to pass that the work of the Lord did prosper unto the baptizing and uniting to the church of God, many souls, yea, even tens of thousands. Thus we may see that the Lord is merciful unto all who will, in the sincerity of their hearts, call upon his holy name."

As I thought on the spirit of Thanksgiving that we'll have this week, I thought about all of the support and love that so many have for missionaries. I'd like to thank everyone for their prayers and thoughts that many have shared with me. I would ask for prayers focused on our investigators and the members. We appreciate the prayers that people offer the missionaries, but don't forget investigators too.

-We helped an LA serve food at a school. People are so unaccustomed to foreigners. It was entertaining to see their reactions. Also, because it's a small world, we get to meet the same people again.
-We finally finished building the branch president's house. He had his first FHE on Monday.
-We met a ton of LA's this week. Some don't like the church anymore. Some love the missionaries a lot. A few of those want me to be their son in law.
-We had our first branch council meeting in a long time. Yea! for more power to the branch. Planning Thanksgiving/Christmas.
-I find it weird when people answer their phones in the shower.
-We're going to eat dog today.
-The Lord is in every aspect of our lives.
-We'll have miracles on the way as well as Sister Missionaries.

-- 

ขอแสดงความนับถือ,                                           Sincerely,
เอ็ลเดอร์ ซัน                                                        Elder Sun
ผู้สอนศาสนา                                                                 Missionary 
ศาสนจักรของพระเยซูคริสต์แห่งวิสุทธิชนยุคสุดท้าย         The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
คณะเผยแผ่ กรุงเทพฯ, ประเทศไทย                                   Bangkok, Thailand Mission

Monday, November 16, 2015

Into a new transfer... Pic 2


Into a new transfer...

Dear Mom,

We are going into a new transfer, with new experiences, a new district, new companion, but I'm still in Sakon Nakhorn so that's the same. What's also new is that I'm training a missionary straight out of the MTC, Elder Blad. I'm pretty pumped.

I'm so grateful for this new transfer. I'm very excited for the opportunity to train Elder Blad. He is so awesome. He has an amazing understanding of missionary work and a great desire to learn. I'm impressed by his courage to speak and open his mouth. He's willing to do anything. While he may be a little slow in the language and sometimes has a hard time understanding the language, which is expected, he's able to share very clear, and power thoughts. He is very humble and already a great missionary. It was very surprising and interesting to find out how similar in background we are. He's from Pocatello. He's half Taiwanese, and I feel like he is just like me when I was a greenie. I'm trying to give him plenty of opportunities to speak and teach whenever I can. Training like this is such a big change, one that I'm not entirely sure how to approach, but I feel like it's going to be great. We have all of the faith and resolve to help make Udorn a stake. We're going to focus on callings, priesthood holders, and visting/home teaching. We have set very high goals this transfer, but we know that the Lord is going to help us. This transfer is also only five weeks long because of Christmas. Christmas is almost already here, again. Oh how time flies by.

It is also interesting to hear that my last companion, Elder Noyce, is going to be going to my greenie area. I've told him a lot of stories from that area, and now he's there. It's a small world/mission.

I feel like I always have so much to learn from each of my companions. This transfer will possibly be the transfer I learn the absolute most. 

As a district leader, trainer, and working with the ward the way we are, I feel like the Lord has put a lot of trust in me. I'm going to make sure I am accounting adequately to the Lord for the work we are doing as a district, companionship, and individually. I'm also excited to see what each new week holds. As I sat back this Sunday night and looked over everything we had going on and everyone we are looking after, I realized just how crazy it's looking. We have a lot of investigators we are working with as well as RC's/LA's.

There is so much going on! Also at transfers, it was announced that Sister missionaries will be coming to Sakon Nakhorn in the next two weeks. That'll be a huge, exciting change. The branch president was telling us how with more missionaries, the work will speed up even more and everyone is really excited for that. We had a period of rapid increase, then some decrease in terms of church attendance and baptisms, but we can all see that it's about time for another step in the right direction. Also at transfers, we received some new training. Each Stake/District has worked with the mission to put together a serious of special training videos to help us become better teachers, missionaries, and work with the member in each District more efficiently. It is a very new thing and an interesting idea. The training from our leaders can help us as we learn and figure out how to diligently apply it.

I was able meet up with my second trainer at transfer as well and a bunch of people that he's trained and people that they've trained. It was a great family reunion.


-- 

ขอแสดงความนับถือ,                                           Sincerely,
เอ็ลเดอร์ ซัน                                                        Elder Sun
ผู้สอนศาสนา                                                                 Missionary 
ศาสนจักรของพระเยซูคริสต์แห่งวิสุทธิชนยุคสุดท้าย         The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
คณะเผยแผ่ กรุงเทพฯ, ประเทศไทย                                   Bangkok, Thailand Mission

Monday, November 9, 2015

The last week of the transfer is starting good. Pic 5

The Truck.

The last week of the transfer is starting good. Pic 4

English Class.

The last week of the transfer is starting good. Pic 3


The last week of the transfer is starting good. Pic 1


The last week of the transfer is starting good.

Dear Mom,

I loved this past week so much. District conference here in Udorn was such an amazing opportunity that was also filled with many miracles and blessings. We had several investigators and a lot of members make it out to district conference which was a great thing to see. Those said investigators are also continuing to progress and it was definitely a great opportunity for them to learn and grow as well.

I'm thankful for all of the many blessings and continual guidance that the Lord gives us from day to day, sometimes even hour to hour. I am exceedingly grateful for the opportunity I have had to serve in Sakhon Nakorn and with Elder Noyce. I'm very grateful for the amazing examples I've seen from other missionaries, leaders, and also members. I'm impressed with the courage and testimony of new members, and even investigators. The training we received on Saturday along with all of the training, talks, and revelation from the speakers the past few days really made me rethink and desire to change several things about my own life and how I've been working as well. In the training, I learned the most on the subject of the Atonement. What it truly means to change and why. He loved us enough to Atone for us. All He does is invite us to change. It 'pumps us up'. In conference, we talked the most about the Sabbath day and I loved an analogy shared about the real pearl of all we do and that is the Atonement. We have a box. A beautifully wrapped present that is decorated and ornamented with ribbons, bows, and covered with elaborate wrapping paper. But that is in the box is what is most important. They talked about how activities and events can be helpful and necessary, but the true gift is the Atonement.

I was deeply impressed with how people, all around the world can come together and rejoice in the same Savior and Redeemer. I felt a special spirit as we listened to the members from Laos sing and give talks in Laotian that made me really know that the bonding power that was there was love. Love of Christ and the love our Father has for each and every one of us. I learned about sharing testimony and being a miracle for someone else. It really made me want to change and to become something better. I know that that is what this life is all about. Changing, improving, and doing so out of love for God, Christ, and others.

This past week I also had the opportunity to go on switch-offs with Elder Stevens. It was a great opportunity to work more closely with the other Elders and take a look into how they work. I remember in conference call with the zone leaders that they said the members of our districts really look up to us. Most of the time I don't notice it or realize it. Sometimes it seems like that's not true, but when they said that, I realized that it is true. We talked about leaders in district conference as well. I often forget that I am a leader. I am fairly old in the mission. My example, whether I see it or not, can, and does have an influence on others. After saying this, I should probably work on being a better example more often.

Working with Elder Stevens, I was able to see how much he really cares for everyone that we met with. I could see just how badly he wanted his investigators to feel of God's love, the truth of the message, and how much he wanted them to have spiritual experiences. I often think about how similar he and I are when I was a greenie. I was very similar in a lot of ways. I wanted others to know how I felt, but I didn't know how to do it. However, Elder Stevens can already speak Thai fluently, so that's not a problem. In fact, he often says too much. I was able to try to help him put his thoughts, which would sometimes ramble and make lessons extremely long, more simple and powerful while focusing on the principles and pearls of the Gospel. It's a hard thing to do, but I believe he is learning at a faster pace than me when I was a greenie.

Many miracles: 1) appointments didn't show up on Monday but we were able to take a well needed sit down with the Branch President. 2) Our investigators at the hospital were still doing well on Tuesday. Also a group of ER workers we met with there where really friendly. 3) Several potential investigators I called were able to come to English class and meet with us. 4) We were able to meet a few long time investigators who we had lost contact with; they also brought a friend. 5) We received two referrals from another referral from an RC. 6) Got to serve an investigator who is going strong; I'd never done so much farm work until coming to Thailand. 6) Had a great group lesson with some RC's and two investigators with a baptismal date. One of which we had also lost contact with until then. 7) Visited the family of an RC who is continuing to learn. She's awesome. 8) Conducted my first baptismal interview - she was awesome. 9) District Conference - came back and visited an LA who said a really great prayer and said how she had never had a companionship of missionaries like us before and would truly miss us. She committed to coming to church every week that she can. She reminds me of my mom. 10) Still ended up getting balanced despite losing almost 2 work days.

There have been many, many more that I'm too lazy to write them all.

Oh, and a baptism. We went to Udorn this past weekend for District Conference which is like Stake Conference. There, we had a special baptismal program. It was kind of crazy with all the the things going on, so we didn't have a chance to take any pictures, but it was, and always is, an indescribable experience to witness people going into the waters a baptism and making covenants with the Lord. I also had the special opportunity to be the baptizer. We weren't sure when the service was going to start, where the font was, where we were going to change our clothes, or even who everyone was, but it was awesome. We had invited this investigator over a transfer ago, and at first we were afraid that she wasn't making much progress. We ended up deciding to let the other Elders work with her. It was a special experience because I was also the one able to interview her. It was my first interview and despite being anxious/nervous, I was able to feel the Spirit in that interview. She had a strong love of Christ and desire for her future...let's just say there are a lot of stories that we could tell about her and leave it at that. Oh, and it was super great riding in a truck with all of the members. It was a good time.

Oh, and I was able to meet my very first RC, Bro. Jack. He moved back to Udorn from Bangna. He is teaching a bunch of his family members here. The members here in Udorn were talking about it with me.

-- 

ขอแสดงความนับถือ,                                           Sincerely,
เอ็ลเดอร์ ซัน                                                        Elder Sun
ผู้สอนศาสนา                                                                 Missionary 
ศาสนจักรของพระเยซูคริสต์แห่งวิสุทธิชนยุคสุดท้าย         The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
คณะเผยแผ่ กรุงเทพฯ, ประเทศไทย                                   Bangkok, Thailand Mission

Monday, November 2, 2015

The last week of the transfer...

Picture 2

The last week of the transfer...

Dear Mom,

Thanks for looking after the lawn and stuff. I hope you had a good Halloween. We had a pretty fun Halloween party here in Sakonakhorn. Also, this past week I've had many people talk to me about the things my mom has been sharing with them on Facebook. It made for quite an interesting conversation starter Sunday morning. 

This week has been so full of miracles. The Lord has blessed us so much. Coming into the last week of the transfer, I'm excited to be able to work even harder and make the absolute most of this time. This past week, we've had the opportunity to study various topics to prepare for an up coming district conference. It really expanded on my understanding of faith and helped me see several ways that I can improve my faith. One thing I continue to notice is the pattern of personal growth. Being with my companion has helped me see, in several ways, how we should learn and grow from daily experiences. He is always full of love and looking for ways to serve others. He has the Spirit so strong, and often times I am impressed when we teach. He is a tremendous disciple of Jesus Christ and a truly converted missionary. I can see that he has touched so many lives and has brought God's love to everyone he comes in contact with. I've seen him continually change and improve and a rapid pace as I've had the chance to serve with him these past two transfers. We won't know who is moving until next week, but I feel like I have learned from his example of being self motivated, self correcting, and self teaching. It made me realize that if we want to get anything out of this life or an experience, it is up to us. Sometimes I am tempted to wait for instruction or guidance before doing something, expecting an answer to come completely and clearly. However, there is no guide book for life which outlines everything we should do and when. The closest thing we have is the Spirit, and even then we must seek it. If we want to be better teachers, we need to teach, see what was good or bad, learn from it and go at it again.

We continue to work hard, and no matter what it is, it always seems like the Lord is there. We are still working with several families, and are waiting on miracles from the Lord. In the talk that we had just read this morning, it addressed "how to make things happen". I feel that if we want miracles to happen, we need to have the faith and work to make them happen, but it's also hard when working with others - everyone has their agency. We simply rely on the Lord to fill our mouths and touch the hearts of the people we care about. I enjoyed reading the emails from Sister Sun and Sister McCuen this past week and feel like their experiences can also sum up ours. When we commit ourselves to be 100%, try to follow the Spirit, and put our shoulders to the wheel, we'll see miracles, change in our lives and the lives of those around us. I always find it interesting to reflect on how our faith can influence others. It really struck me this past fast Sunday when I had the opportunity to translate for a non-Thai speaker. I feel like I really 'internalized' the feelings and meanings that people put into their testimonies and I felt the Spirit very strongly in that meeting.

I'm so grateful for the opportunity to be a missionary, to feel so close to the Spirit, to get to know God's children, and to have such a great opportunity to help others come unto Him, feel of His love, and to help them develop faith in Him. I know this is a unique, and special opportunity. More than just that, but a real calling. I'm thankful for the thoughts that you've shared each each to help us become better servants of Christ. I am still working on 'perfecting' my desires - my desire to work harder, more diligently, and with more charity. I've learned that when we want to increase our faith and see changes happen, it all starts with our belief and desires. If we truly desire something, we will believe, commit, do, and see the Lord help us when those things are what the Lord would have us do. To become more like Him. I would invite you to read this talk, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, that I mentioned earlier and think of ways to increase your faith. This was a great talk that I could really apply to missionary work and I know that it applies to all of us.

Thank you for all you do in and your example of love, service, and experience.

Elder Sunny

Oh, and there was a big wax castle festival. A bunch of Buddhist temples made wax castles entirely by hand and there was a big parade. Super cool. It was also a great opportunity to talk to people. We actually walked with the parade people for a bit and talked to them about the Gospel. Good fun.

"We become what we want to be, by consistently being what we want to become" "All of us must come to an honest, open, self examination. An awareness within as to who and what we want to be"

-- 

ขอแสดงความนับถือ,                                           Sincerely,
เอ็ลเดอร์ ซัน                                                        Elder Sun
ผู้สอนศาสนา                                                                 Missionary 
ศาสนจักรของพระเยซูคริสต์แห่งวิสุทธิชนยุคสุดท้าย         The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
คณะเผยแผ่ กรุงเทพฯ, ประเทศไทย                                   Bangkok, Thailand Mission