I love Thailand!

Hello world! 

This week was a whirlwind of activity.  We were able to do a lot of sifting through people to find those that are really willing and determined to listen and follow the message we have to offer.  Our most recent dater is no longer a dater right now.  We saw her on Wednesday and she just wasn't there.  She is not willing to listen and her desires lay more in the temporal than the spiritual right now.  It has been discouraging with her because just a few weeks ago we had such hope for her.  We have been doing all we can for her and she is just not responding.  After having a lesson and it ending up with her true intentions coming through, we started our journey out (she lives 45 kilos away).  The bad thing was that it was just after 4.  The time when public transportation (and the only way home) becomes sparse.  After waiting for about 15-20 minutes, we were getting desperate.  We had already gotten soaking wet on the way there, and it was going to rain again really soon.  We were feeling discouraged and hungry and we just wanted to go back in order to meet our other investigator who actually wanted to learn. Sister Ng and I went off to the side and said a prayer asking Heavenly Father to safely guide us home and for us to even be able to get home.  About 5 minutes later, a rodluang came and took us home.  Thank goodness for answered prayers. 

  

We finally got back to the church, after our investigator waited for an hour.  But it was really a miracle that she actually came through with her appointment in the first place!  She's cancelled 4 times in the past 2 weeks.  She tried to tell us that she would call us when we were ready, but we didn't fall for that.  She recently broke up with her boyfriend and it has been really hard for her.  We stressed the importance of the message we have and told her how much it could help her. After our first meeting with her, she was so much better.  The change was incredible.  I wish she could see the changes the Spirit works in her life like we do.  She is still trying to grasp the concept that this Gospel does apply to her.  She says she doesn't pray and she doesn't read because she can't help but to think about her problems at home.  So right now, our focus for her is to help her understand that Heavenly Father does love us and answer our prayers.  

This week we were blessed with some really really good new investigators and our older ones are getting better and better!  I love when I can tell that the Gospel does help them.  One older investigator is taking a lot of work, but the progression is amazing!  She has had 3 baptismal dates already and she hasn't made them.  But we finally found out her concern this week after eating dinner with her and her friend.  We found out that she doesn't really believe that her life can get much better after baptism than it already is right now.  She doesn't quite know what to think of an after-life and she almost doesn't want to think about it because she is afraid of what it might be like.  We are soo glad to finally know what to teach her because we have been at such a loss.  She knows and pretty much understands everything.  She keeps all the commandments and she asks so many good questions whenever we meet.  She really does want to get baptized and she wants to go to the temple too.  She told us that if she was younger and learning about this, she would have been baptized a while ago, but I guess she's just wondering what more the Gospel has to offer her life.  We are excited for this lesson on Tuesday!  No more beating a dead horse talking about baptism.  We're going to knock her socks off!  ;)

New Investigators:  how we love them!  About two weeks ago we were with another investigator walking near the church to go get a D-milk after a lesson.  It was dark and we're extra cautious of our surroundings at that time.  We walked past this restaurant and a man said hello to us.  As we walked past again going back to the church, he said hello again.  At first we thought it was a little creepy, but the second time I noticed he was sitting on a bench with a woman and two little girls.  Last week, after many more encounters with them at the same restaurant (which they own) we finally gave them a Book of Mormon and got to know them a little better.  We saw them again when we ate at their restaurant on Saturday with an investigator.  The dad has read until Mosiah.  IN A WEEK.  We were shocked.  He explained that he didn't understand everything, but he liked reading it a lot then asked if he could ask us questions if he had any.  Of course we answered affirmatively after we regained our composure!  We explained some logistics of the Book of Mormon and where it came from.  He and his oldest daughter (Pim, 12 years old) are so interested.  When she found out we were going to teach her right then her smile was so big.  I love them so much!  They listened so intently and I think they will be able to progress fairly quickly.  We couldn't believe that he would read so much when we hadn't even formally introduced it to him.  He wasn't even there when we gave them the Book - we gave it to his sister.  But they keep it in the restaurant and read it daily - they even asked us for more copies so they each could have their own.  After teaching them how to pray and committing them to pray about the truth of the Book of Mormon, we asked Narong, the dad, to close the lesson with a prayer.  He offered a sincere and heartfelt prayer, and after saying "Amen", he said he wanted to do it every day.  I love people who are committed and thirsty for the word of God!  I love people who read on their own and don't even need us to "convince" them to do it!  Some investigators make it seem worse than pulling teeth in a Thailand dentistry, but they do it so willingly - I have no doubt that they will be blessed for that!  This is a sweet reminder that there are people who need this Gospel and who want it!  What a tender mercy from the Lord after having our dater drop and another reject our invitation to baptism.  We couldn't be more excited for these sweet and prepared people.  As soon as we walked into their restaurant, we were respected and loved.  It's like we are already part of their little family!  We are hoping to get a wonderful prepared priesthood holder in our branch very soon!  The power of the Book of Mormon is real.  How much stronger will they be because he is actually reading it and feasting on the words it contains, because they do it of their own free will and are not "compelled".  The power of the Book of Mormon is undeniable and if he prays about it, he will no doubt receive and answer. So as they are feasting on the word, we will be feasting on gwitdiaw! (the noodle soups they sell)  It is a small but delicious sacrifice we are willing to make to help others come unto Christ.  :)

Well, that's all the time I have today!  Just remember that God does answer our prayers - He will send answers in many different ways in His own timing and when we are ready.  Seek for His guidance - He's pretty good at giving at and being right.  All the time.  :)

I love you all so much!

Sister Norrell

P.S.  Our Branch President took us traveling last P-day.  These are a few pictures I have.  I am planning on getting lots more from the other missionaries too!  

We went to the jungle basically.  And we rode elephants.  Bare back.  It was terrifying.  I felt like I was falling off all the time and we were pretty sore for a couple days after.  And we were filthy.  Like so dirty after trekking through the wilderness then riding elephants.  It was so much fun, but not a very restful P-day. :)

The first pictures are of us in our mode of travel.  A pick up truck with a steel frame around it on the sides.  We love doing things that are perfectly normal in Thailand but no where near legal in the states!

We saw a waterfall.  :)

So I didn't actually get any of Sister Ng and I on our elephant because my camera batteries died, and it was too much of a hassle to try to take any.  BUT, this mom elephant is the one we rode on.  The baby was so cute!  Except for when it was super cranky and stepped on Sister Zatarain's foot.  Oops.  It was fun and at a super good price, but the elephants were not too chipper.  :P

And we didn't get the luxury of even a rickety basket.  The Branch President said "If you come with me, you aren't using a basket".  So we didn't!  And I'm sure our faces looked pretty similar to this couple's.  It was actually really terrifying...but now I can say I did it, right? :)

Adventures in Thailand!

Visit to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep

This week has been crazy and exhausting.  I love being a missionary!  I have been reminded several times this week of how lucky I am to be able to devote all my time and service to the Lord and His children.  I am really starting to learn the value and importance of losing yourself in the service of the Lord, and how we really find ourselves in the process.  I love being able to wake up in the morning and have 3 hours of study and 1 hour of language study, all devoted to the Lord and the progression of the work.  I love that in studying for people that we teach instead of for myself, I learn so much more.  The scriptures hold so much joy and knowledge and comfort, I can't imagine going a day without drinking from the waters of life!  I came to a realization just this morning.  The scriptures, as we know, are the most important tool we have for teaching.  No man can dispute with the words of prophets.  And I realized this morning that even the Book of Mormon follows the process of the doctrine of Christ:  faith, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end.  So cool!  I love the scriptures.  I could spend all my time reading them.  When my hour of personal study is up, I wonder where it went and wish I could have another!  They have such power and I think of how blessed I am to be able to read them and teach from them daily.

The Elders in my District (Elder Buehner, Elder Harley, Elder Pyne, Elder Xiawong)

The view from the wat and Sister Ng and I in front of the crazy stairs leading up to the wat!

Sister Ng and I having fun in the fancy hotel after the power went out at our house.

Beautiful Sunset!

We got a new family this week!  We are so excited to get to teach them more and more.  We taught them one time this week after meeting them in public transportation.  They got on at the hospital, and they had a brand new baby boy.  So Cute!  We are so excited to be able to teach them about eternal families and how the gospel of Jesus Christ can help them in their lives.  The only problem is that they are actually from Laos, and Thai (especially our not perfect Thai) is hard for them to understand and reading is also difficult.  But we called about getting two Books of Mormon in Laotian and we should be getting them this week!  We will see them again tomorrow for sure!  :D 

Us in the little river that we had to cross to get to the member's house...yeah, he lived out in the mountains and across a river.  

 

The hot springs we went to after visiting a member.

View from a member's house

A canal they channel from the hot springs. 

We saw a sign that said "Food and Egg", and we thought it was just some weird translation from Thai to English.  But nope.  Those hooks are for baskets of eggs that boil in the hot springs!  Nothing like the smell of sulfur and of literal boiling eggs.  :P

We also had two more baptisms this past Saturday.  Chiang Mai is growing!  Sister Ng and I have really tried to focus a lot of our efforts on seeing Less Actives and new Converts, and then especially people who have been baptized in the past year and do not come to church now.  The retention rate is pretty low, actually.   We have a LOT of people to work with, and the members are excited to help us!  We are especially really seeing the fruits of that labor!  We had 4 less active members come to church yesterday!!! :D  We are so excited to help them rekindle their testimony and get them back on the straight and narrow path! 

Meeting with investigators has been interesting this week.  It's been difficult to meet with them, because literally EVERYONE in Thailand works.  All the time.  So we are really trying to work out our schedules with them so that we can meet with them, and help them come closer to Christ.  We have a couple really promising ones.  We are hoping to have at least two with a baptismal date goal this week!  I love seeing the desire work within them to make that goal.  I love hearing them express their desire to change their lives and follow the example of the Savior.  I love missionary work!  I love seeing a mom and daughter, both less active members who don't feel comfortable at church, want us to come back to their house 4 times in one week.  I love having the mom give us hugs and just express her gratitude for our service and attention to her and her daughter without saying a word.  I love feeling like my service is pleasing to the Lord even when people choose not to accept our message.  I love knowing that he is "going before us in the wilderness"  and that I can know that "it is by Him that we are led".  

A rice field in front of a member's house

I was so amazed this week.  Everywhere we went - restaurants, stores, roddangs, everyone just seemed to stop and stare at our tags and read our names.  Some of them would say, I'm Christian too!  And we would just be able to talk to them, invite them to church, whatever we can.  We went to a fulong restaurant this past week and our waiter just talked to us for a while.  We gave him a pamphlet, and as we were leaving he was showing his co-workers the pamphlet.  We got his phone number, and hopefully he will have time off work to meet with us!  We are meeting people everywhere who are interested in our message and our purpose.  It's amazing how the Lord works and how much His hand really is in this work!  

The lantern festival they have in Chiang Mai (because all the tourists complained about there being nothing to do here during rainy season apparently...)

First mail received in Thailand!

The Sisters in our district:  me, SIster Ng, Sister DuPlessis and Sister Zatarain at the same house.

I'm running out of time.  I also forgot a lot of the details of this week, but they're in my journal for safe keeping!  I think we are going to ride elephants today... :D

Sorry I still didn't get the pictures you asked for this week!  I will try my hardest to remember for next week.  :)

 

Love,

Sister Norrell

Note from Amber's Mom: I think the pictures she is referring to are the ones we requested of her bicycle and the home where she and the other Sisters are currently living.  She certainly sent a lot of pictures this week to make up for lost time, so we don't mind waiting on these few.