Ties in Thailand: In Bangkok this week...

Dear Mom,

My letters the next few weeks may be a little longer than normal. Elder Curtis has to do some school stuff on Mondays now. The investigator I mentioned last week is 17, almost 18 now. I'm sure that whatever the Lord's solution is for them, they'll know through prayer and the Spirit. Our mission president advised us that "of course, a [younger] child should not keep coming if the parents don't support. But someone that is an older teenager or older should be able to make their own decision about this. There are scriptural examples of individuals leaving their fathers and mothers to serve Christ (Matthew 4: 19-22). I know we are to honor our parents, but we should do so in paths of righteousness. I hope this helps." Love is always the solution.

This week was fantastic! We had a special conference with Elder Stevenson - the new apostle - was by far one of the coolest things that have happened to me on my mission. The pure power of the Spirit that was in that meeting was truly something I'm going to remember. I'm also super excited for all of the investigators that had the chance to go too. If their hearts and minds were open, they were sure to feel the power of it, too. We talked with several investigators after the meeting and it was so cool to hear their thoughts and feelings from the meeting. We had several investigators who were impressed with the things they felt as Elder Stevenson walked into the room, during the songs, and also the talks. There were several things that I've felt were answers to my prayers as well. As Elder Stevenson walked into the room, we all stood up and were silent. More than just being silent in the room, there was a special presence in the room. So cool.

This past week, like every week, we worked hard, but I feel like this past week was especially rewarding. We are still in the process of finding a new house which has taken up a pretty good chunk of time this past week, but I feel like we're getting closer to finding where the Lord wants us. Despite using time this week with finding a house, we've been able to do some solid proselyting and see many miracles. We've meet with several new investigators who all have a sincere desire to learn and to find truth in life - a sure path to guide them. We are seeking out the prepared who will hear the gospel.

I love that everything we do we try to give it our all. Elder Curtis is such a great, unbelievably fantastic missionary. He's miles ahead of me in many things. He's such a great example to me, the district, the members and investigators. He's a skilled and powerful teacher and a very consecrated missionary. We're learning a lot from each other and everyday we help each other improve and repent.

For me, there is nothing more motivating, more satisfying, more stressful, or more emotional for me than seeing the progress of others. I love these people so much and would do anything to help them come to know of the love that their Heavenly Father has for them. I'm bursting with anxiety for the welfare of their souls as the prophets of old would put it.

Two new investigators we met have foreign husbands. We also ended up teaching them on the same day (Thursday), they both have a lot of free time to meet, and both are excited to learn. One has a super cute 6yr old daughter who is also really smart. her kid speaks english, thai, and german and is just a little bundle of pure adorability. Teaching her was such a great experience. She was just so willing to learn and listen and meet. We invited her on Monday on P-day (a great testimony building experience for me on the importance that P-day is not a 'day-off'". She has free time and is willing to meet almost everyday.The other new investigator is kind of an interesting character. She has a quirky personality and we weren't 100% sure she had genuine desire to learn, but she came with us to the Elder Stevenson's conference and has been reading and praying. She, too, is very free and I'm sure we'll meet with these two often this week.

Another new investigator that we taught this week came and found us on Sunday. I had invited her on Saturday and she met with us on Sunday. It was cool meeting with her, too, because at first we thought we weren't going to teach her and she said it really wasn't convenient to meet because at this time there is a lot of testing going on, but she found the time to meet with us and came with a good desire. She mentioned how her family situation is less than ideal and wanted to find something that could help be a guide in her life. She understood really well and said was willing to read and pray. However, it's hard teaching people who ares students because their lives, especially here in Thailand, are so filled with school and studied and text books that people often feel like they don't have time to meet. She seemed willing and I hope we can meet her again.

Two other new investigators we met with were guys (yeah for potential Priesthood holders). They came looking to learn more about what Christianity is. We've been working on making sure to teach people, not lessons by really trying to understand peoples' interests, needs, and desires. I like how in MLC we talked about 1 Nephi 10:17. Nephi felt the Spirit in the words of his father, Lehi, which sparked a desire in him to learn for himself about the things Lehi testified. This desired led Nephi to search diligently until he, himself, came to know of the truthfulness of his father's words. This pattern of truth seeking is something that I've thought about much this past week how we, as teachers/testifies, spark an interest in investigators through the Spirit which acts upon the desire of them to learn more and to know for themselves. I feel like this has been a focus of the work we have done this transfer and in the lessons we've taught. To simply invite others to know for themselves. This must start with the Spirit and a desire to know on the part of the investigator. I know that God loves us and wants us to know this truth, this path, and His love. We can "know of these things by the power of the Holy Ghost, which is the gift of God unto all those who diligently seek him, as well in times of old as in the time that he should manifest himself unto the children of men." It's their choice, and that makes all the difference. I've been realizing lately that it's all about us choosing for ourselves. That's where true progression comes from. It's being invited to do something, and then actually doing it. It doesn't work though if we're doing it just because someone tells us to. The desire to act still has to come from within. It's the same with helping other missionaries, other members, less actives, and investigators. We all have to choose whether or not we want to follow Christ. Many people have told me something along the lines of "Never let a problem to be solved be more important than a person to be loved." This makes me think about are we focusing on solving the investigator's problems when we teach, or to first and foremost love them.

Here in Don Mueang, I'm continually impressed with the number of friends, and friends of friends that people bring into the church. Something I haven't seen very much anywhere else. There is one such friend that is progressing well and will be baptized next week. She's so prepared and recognizes the Spirit in her life.

One other thing I forget to mention is how awesome it was to meet up with old members this pastSunday. We didn't have sacrament meeting on sunday, we had a visit from an apostle, Elder Stevenson the newly called apostle. It was such a fantastic meeting. He bore such simple, but powerful testimony. In reflection of my life up to this point, I can honestly say there has been no other time I have felt the Spirit so strong or have been brought to tears more often than on my mission. I sliced my finger open on a drill and didn't shed a tear. I've felt discouraged, depressed, angry, sad just as I'm sure everyone has before, but the one thing that honestly touches my heart more than anything else has been the Spiritual experiences on my mission. After the meeting, I got to see some RCs and members from Bangna and some people that came down from Sakon Nakorn. Such a great multi-family reunion!!

I loved in Sabrina's email this week when she mentioned how missionary work that is stress free and not obligated is awesome "It was so stress free and I felt like instead of maybe feeling obligated to go out and work in my area, I was able to just talk to people and love them and really just have an awesome spiritual experience going out and teaching people the gospel." I've found that as we focus on the real reason why we do things (which has been a focus of our mission as a whole), it makes it much easier to feel the love that God has for us - because that's the reason why we do all that we do. Not out of just some sense of duty, but out of our decision to love God and love others - putting THEM as the most important thing. I often thing are we here to TEACH or are we here for THEM.

One last experience I wanted to share was just the power and amazing testimony of a story that Elder Stevenson shared. He talked about how he has only been an apostle for 4 months. Others have been an apostle for 30-40 years, but he knows that the church is true just the same. He shared an experience on his mission where he really wanted to know for himself that the BoM was true. He prayed about it, read it everyday, but still didn't know for sure. He continued with his missionary work until one day, as he was teaching an investigator, he had the power of the Spirit confirm in his heart that the BoM and restoration were true. It really stuck out to me that it wasn't until he testified of the truthfulness of the BoM that he felt that it was true. He had 'known' it was true his whole life, but as he teach, the Spirit confirmed the truth to him and to the investigator. Wherefore, he that preacheth and he that receiveth, understand one another, and both are edified and rejoice together. This is such 1)a tremendous pattern and truth of teaching and 2)is honestly an experience that happens more often than not on a mission.

I know that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is 100%, unequivocally, without a single ounce of room for debate is true. God lives. He loves us. For all those that do not yet know or have never before felt of the love of God, I would invite, and even urge you, to begin to search for Him. That spiritual confirmation that we hear about so much in 'miracle' stories is real. It is something we must seek. It is something that once we have, once we have left God's love for us, it is something we need as much as we need to breathe. I can say that I know that these things are true because of the power of the Holy Ghost which has brought me to be able to feel of this truth. If we truly, diligently seek to know we will find. "Ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you."