Dear Mom,
Just as a surgeon uses fine tools in operations and trusts that those tools will work right, the Lord uses and trusts each of us in His work. The Lord love us and trusts us, but it is up to us on how much we will trust and love Him. We may not know how much we can do, but He does, and without Him, we really can't do anything.
The time in Chiang Mai this past transfer has been full of great experiences. I feel so blessed to be a missionary. Chiang Mai definitely has its challenges and we're working on figuring out how the Lord wants us to work. The Branch and the Lord have big plans for this area. This coming up transfer will be my last, and I'm going to try to make it the best by working my hardest at being a balanced missionary. Transfers is this Thursday, we'll see what changes are in store!!
I'd say the most important thing I've learned this past transfer cycle is to truly learn to find joy in the journey, no matter how things work out. To not let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved. No matter how large of distance we may have to go or what we may have to do, we can always choose how we respond. We can choose to trust in and follow the Lord.
Chiang Mai has been hard this past transfer. Earlier this week, I had a feeling like our district of missionaries were crumbling down around me and we were feeling very humbled. Everyone had felt that Chiang Mai was being especially difficult. I can distinctively remember a follow-up call I had where the Sisters mentioned how discouraged they felt and lack of success they've seen that they felt like they wanted to cry. I really didn't know what to do. I felt like we were being tested and challenged and tried to a breaking point. I prayed in my heart during that call and promised them blessings and shared a scripture. I told them to keep doing what they knew was right, "Keep loving. Keep trying. Keep trusting. Keep believing." and the next day the Lord would do wonders among them. A few days later, we had a family call us and tell us they wanted to change religions and wanted to learn. They lived in the Sister's area and right after the Sisters had met with them that day, another couple walked in and wanted to learn and they all went to church this past Sunday. The Sisters were so, so happy and called us more than once to thank us and express their gratitude for the blessings the Lord gave them. I felt like I really was an instrument in the Lord's hands and the promise that I felt prompted to tell them was fulfilled because He really is in this work and He really is aware of all we do. The Lord has his timing, and it's wonderful. I feel like it is times like these that make me marvel at and feel appreciative towards our Heavenly Father. No matter how we may feel or what we may experience, He will never leave us and we'll never be alone. He knows and loves us.
Because we're imperfect, we often have a tendency to look past the good and the blessings God has given us and see only the bad. It's easy to be caught up in what's wrong or hard, but it's so much better to be caught up in the good/happy things. Also remember to keep loving, believing, and trusting.
Mosiah 27:36 "And thus they were instruments in the hands of God in bringing many to the knowledge of the truth, yea, to the knowledge of their Redeemer."
Also, since the start of the transfer, our English class has quadrupled in size.
Today we woke up at 4am to see the sunrise, ate a $4 all you can eat breakfast buffet, slept with some tigers, and went to a waterfall.
ขอแสดงความนับถือ, Sincerely,
เอ็ลเดอร์ ซัน Elder Sun
ผู้สอนศาสนา Missionary
ศาสนจักรของพระเยซูคริสต์แห่งวิสุทธิชนยุคสุดท้าย The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
คณะเผยแผ่ กรุงเทพฯ, ประเทศไทย Bangkok, Thailand Mission
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