It's all over but the work

I always wondered what it was like to be a missionary close to going home.  Now the feelings are very clear, yet sometimes I still can't sort out my emotions.  I feel happy to get to see my family and to see what else the Lord has in store for me.  I feel grateful for all the people I have met in Thailand - both those that touched my life and those that I was privileged enough to touch their lives.  I feel amazed that the Lord has performed so many miracles.  I feel sad that I won't be in Thailand anymore and that I won't physically be wearing my missionary badge anymore.  But overall, I feel hopeful that the Work of Salvation will continue on as stone cut out without hands.  I feel hopeful that the Lord will take care of those I love in Thailand.  I feel hopeful that the Lord will still use me as an instrument in the Lord's hands to bless the lives of His children.  I will always have my missionary badge painted on my heart.  These last 18 months will always be a part of who I am.

We aren't made for endings, but just endless beginnings.  We are made of the stuff of eternity.

 6 And now, behold, I say unto you, that the thing which will be of the most worth unto you will be to declare repentance unto this people, that you may bring souls unto me, that you may rest with them in the kingdom of my Father. Amen.
-Doctrine and Covenants 16:6

Over my mission I can't even express the spectrum of emotions I have felt.  Seeing the change that comes into the lives of others, however, is worth all the stress, sorrow, or tears I could ever give.  

 21 Yea, I say unto you, my son, that there could be nothing so exquisite and so bitter as were my pains. Yea, and again I say unto you, my son, that on the other hand, there can be nothing so exquisite and sweet as was my joy.
- Alma 36:21

This in itself is a testimony to me that Jesus Christ lives.  He suffered so much for each of us individually, but it was because He loves us.  He didn't think of Himself, but thought only of us and how much we need Him - how much we could not do it on our own.  I know that Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation.  I know that He loves us and desires us to be happy.  He has prepared the way for us to have real joy - eternal joy.  That is our Heavenly Father's greatest desire - for us to return to Him, well polished and thankful for the refining.  Jesus Christ, the sinless Son of God, gave himself a sacrifice  for sin so that the repentant sinner may have eternal life.

Miracles exist.  They happen every day.  All we have to do is have faith - not faith in ourselves or in others, but in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

I promise that I will always be a faithful servant to our Lord and Savior.  I will always have my missionary badge painted on my heart.  The work doesn't stop, and neither should we.

For the last time from Thailand:  I know this Church is true.  I know Jesus Christ is our Savior.  I know that God loves His children.

I love you all. See you all soon!  :):)
Sister Norrell

Getting close!

Hello all!

This week was good and absolutely crazy.  A lot of things going on - some good and others not so desirable. 

We helped a member move her house and then the next day we were the ones moving houses.  I got a cold, and then that same day had to bike in the rain to get home.  I also got food poisoning Saturday night...that was less than fun to say the least.

But more than that, there were great things that happened this week!
We got new investigators this week!

Brother Uan - A referral from a different investigator.  Actually, it was his boss.  This was the appointment we were at when we got soaked with rain.  Our investigator called us to see if we were free (yeah, he sets his own appointments.  He calls us!  When does that ever happen??)  We taught them both together which was hard.  It ended up where we were teaching our normal investigator while the member talked to the referral.  Brother Bauk is awesome.  As we taught him the Plan of Salvation, he said that he felt like it was something familiar to him and that it made him want to learn even more.  The next day we met with him again (He was free so he called and again set his own appointment) and he's doing really good!

Sister Som - She is actually the first person whose number I got here in Korat.  And we just recently got the chance to meet her!  We taught her prayer over the phone a while ago, and she really liked it, but since then she has been out of town.  When we met her she was going to the hospital for an exam (she has cancer).  She told us that her family was all Christian, and that she was interested in learning.  She tried to come to the church twice last week, but she got lost and her phone died.  Then she got sick and had to sleep in the hospital.  Teaching her was one of the best experiences I've had.  It reminded me of how prepared God's children really are.  We went to her house and she revealed her story.  She said her family had been inviting her to become Christian for a while and she saw their lives improve after they changed.  Then a couple days after she made that decision, we met her at the market.  She said after that, she went home and told her husband that she was going to change religions.  Her house is normally in a different city but she moved so that she could be closer to the church.  Her son is also interested and I am so thankful for her.  She is free on Sundays, is legally married to her husband, and has no problems with the commandments.  She is absolutely perfect.  She is on track to be baptized this month!

Brother Golem and Sister Bon - Yes, I think his name really is Golem.  Weird, huh?  He's Catholic and she is Protestant.  We met their friends at the park and they were like "He's Christian" and referred us to Golem and Bon.  He expressed his curiosity about the LDS Church and a desire to know if it is true.  We met them Saturday and they were really focused.  Apparently his curiosity stems from a Catholic Priest that told him that the LDS Church has the teachings closest to the actual teachings of Jesus Christ - that we have the truth.  Yeah, that was unexpected.  Golem really wants to know if it is true - as he said the closing prayer, he prayed to know the truth as soon as possible.  It was an experience that reminded me of that tender experience with Brother Ford in Chiang Mai when he prayed to know the truth right then.  It came for him and I have faith that it will come to him very soon.

Miracles are happening here in Korat.  Prepared people are everywhere, and God's hand is always playing a part.  It is up to us whether or not we will take the time to recognize Him.  It is never too late to help God's children.  God's plan is perfect and we can always find ways to take part in His work.  Trust God and believe that there are great things to come in His work!

Love you all!
Happy late Thanksgiving too!
Sister Norrell  

Wheat and Tares

Hello everyone!

This week I have found that I am especially thankful for the Spirit and for the love that can be conveyed through the Spirit.  We were working with some Less Active members of the Church - people who have been members for 30-40 years, have been Branch Presidents, and haven't been to church in 20 years.  It is really sad to see how they let things of the world take hold of their hearts and that they don't have the Spirit with them anymore. 

We had an interesting encounter with one brother in particular:  his heart was especially hardened.  he is a lawyer, and at the beginning of the lesson he was practically yelling at us.  He said he wasn't really free, but I felt impressed to ask him if he was going to go to church this week.  He was a little perturbed that I would ask him right after he said he wasn't free, so he started talking about how he needed to choose if he was going to be with God or against him.  He went off about how the world is changing and how when he was 20 and a new member he looked up to others for sources of strengthening his testimony, how then he was persuaded much easier.  I am not completely sure that he even believes it anymore.  But all that kept running through my head was "truth never changes".  We are told over and over by modern day prophets and apostles of our Lord that God's standard never changes even when the world's do so rapidly.  Over and over again in the Scriptures we are told that God never changes and if He does He would cease to be God.  I also had the thought to share with him the Scripture in Mosiah 3:19 :

 19 For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father.    

He was so hardened to the Spirit -so caught up on intellectual knowledge that he had forgotten what the most innate and tender feelings we could ever feel felt like.  The Spirit is that which connects our Spirit to God and helps us to build upon the most sure foundation.  It is true:  the world is changing.  It is going downhill steadily and it is increasing speed.  Yet, things of the world cannot satisfy.  As Elder Perry would explain it, we are the wheat and the evils of the world (the tares) are so closely sown in.  We can't simply ignore them - they are surrounding us.  So what we can do is prepare to defend ourselves against these things before we are face to face with a choice.

"A steward managing the field must, with all his or her power, nourish that which is good and make it so strong and beautiful the tares will have no appeal either to the eye or the ear. How blessed are we as members of the Lord’s Church to have the precious gospel of our Lord and Savior as a foundation on which we can build our lives."

I know that as we prepare ourselves against the storms of the world by building our foundation upon Christ's Gospel, we don't have to worry about the tares, because we will be prepared to face any storm.  We will be as the wise man who built his foundation upon a rock.  We may not be wise as to things of the world, but with what really matters, we will be sustained our whole lives through.

And the best part?  This man eventually did open his heart, at least a little.  He finally agreed to come to church on the 30th.  It is a step in the right direction!!

Miracles can happen!  We just have to believe.

I love you all!

Sister Norrell

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/10/finding-lasting-peace-and-building-eternal-families?lang=eng

Waiting Outside

Helloooo everyone!

Emailing a little early this week.  Sorry if I missed you!

This past week was really good!  We felt the Spirit helping us work harder and giving us direction on how to improve.  
We also had the excitement of moving houses this past week!  Since there are 4 Sisters now instead of just 2, we had to find a new house to where all of us could fit (even though I don't think there will be 4 Sisters any more after this transfer...).  We finally found a house and started moving in!  We took the beds and the desks out of our apartment which was interesting because there was no elevator...thank goodness we have Elders!  The new house is kinda scary...yeah.  Big and spacious.  Kinda dark and needs a paint job...but we get what we can take since the other Sisters were in a hotel since coming here.  Haha ;) Sister Yanisa and I will be moving in at the end of the month since the rent on our apartment has been paid until then...we may or may not be procrastinating.  I really just don't want to pack up my stuff to move, because then I don't really have time or a reason to unpack again.  Weird.  
Good things are happening!  New investigators, finding random members who are now inactive.  One was a member since the beginning of the Church in Thailand - 30+ years and has been a branch president twice.  Another was someone people here in Korat know, especially the young men.  It was a powerful moment having those young men help us teach.  They both expressed their love for this older man and told him how much of a role model his was for them and how much they wanted him to come back.  One of them even started crying - an 18 year old boy.  The Spirit was so strong.  I saw that there is no reason why we should underestimate the power of our own example.  In my mind's eye, I feel that the Lord showed me that this less-active member does have potential.  A less-active member now, but a great and powerful leader in the future, especially among the youth.  Truly God sees our potential and as we trust Him, we will be given the ability to begin to see it for ourselves.  After we met him for the first time he started reading his Book of Mormon for the first time in almost a year.  He told us that he felt so good in coming back to the things that he has known for 15+ years now. The Spirit is still the same, all we have to do is seek for it.

3 Nephi 14:7
 7 "Ask, and it shall be given unto you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you."

Another testimony that I gained this week was about the power of the Book of Mormon.  We have one investigator who we have been teaching for a long time and she kinda stopped progressing. We have been pushing for her to get baptized, but she just has something keeping her back that she refuses to tell us.  Then we had a heart to heart with her about it.  We committed her to write down 5 concerns or questions she has about baptism and then go read the Book of Mormon to find answers.  Since then she has been doing so much better!  She reads the Book of Mormon and Bible at any chance she gets and she asks questions and slowly she is opening up to us more and more.

I learned a lot from her this week.  She's really shy.  Last week she came to church, but came 5 minutes late and was too shy to enter, so she sat outside for an hour and then went home without us even knowing it.  So this week we were determined to get her inside.  I thought about her sitting outside too shy to enter into this most sacred and important meeting.  But then I thought about how ultimately it is her choice to come in or stay outside.  But at the last day, what if she was forbidden to enter into God's kingdom?  

 37 And I say unto you again that he cannot save them in their sins; for I cannot deny his word, and he hath said that no unclean thing can inherit the kingdom of heaven; therefore, how can ye be saved, except ye inherit the kingdom of heaven? Therefore, ye cannot be saved in your sins. (Alma 11:37)

Let us all be worthy at the last day.  Let us not procrastinate or exercise our judgement unrighteously as to not be found worthy to enter God's kingdom at the last day!

Love you all!
Sister Norrell

Directions for Life

Hello all!

This week was good.  A lot of traveling to far away areas of Korat, getting fed by members of the Branch, and reading the scriptures a lot personally, with investigators, converts, and less actives.  Oh and a lot of chocolate milkshakes.  The weeks may go by fast, but we are all still learning - that is one thing that truly never ends.

Something I have learned this week is that in life there should only be two directions that we look.  The first is FORWARD.

Sometimes we may have regrets about the past  - things we wish we could change.  Or sometimes we look back longingly on the way things used to be.  Both of these thoughts are contrary to the way the Atonement works.  Faith does not work in retrospect - it is a forward-moving principle.  When we look back, in a way we are forsaking our faith and hope.  We start to believe that God isn't going to give us anything better than what we have already had.  Such a thought is not true.  When we have repented of the things we have done wrong, we should only move forward.  God forgives and forgets when we repent - why shouldn't we do the same?     Why is it so hard for us to forgive ourselves and forget our own past transgressions? Why do we allow room for the fear Satan seeks to instill within us that causes us to look apathetically towards the future?  The only explanation is that we have eternal potential and Satan does not want us to see it.

The only other direction we should be looking is up.   In life sometimes it is easier to look to either side for direction or for a measure of success.  But this is also contrary to God's plan for us.  God knows what He wants us to be, so why should we look to other people instead of going straight to the source of all knowledge and truth for the answers we seek?  When we look side to side all we see are other humans giving us their opinions on how we should be acting or what success we should be achieving.  We see them in the same mortal journey that we are taking on as well.  There is no one human being that is the same, so why should we look to them.  Let us always look up to the One who knows us perfectly and wants to see us reach our full potential.  

God has given us all the tools we need to succeed -  the Scriptures, Prayer, the words of modern day Prophets and Apostles.  Above all He has given us the gift of His Beloved Son.  He wants to see us succeed and has given us all the things we need.  Let us always be in constant use of these tools and never look the wrong direction.  Sometimes we may mess up, but we never need to doubt the love that God has for us.  We are His children.  He knows us perfectly.  He has given us the ability to become like Him.  Let us not waste our time in looking the wrong way.  Let us only heed to the voice of the Lord in facing the future with faith, and in looking up for the direction and confidence that really matters.

I love you all!
Sister Norrell

Getting that tan back!

Hello everyone!
So this past week we had transfers - I didn't request anything, but God knew exactly what I wanted!  
I got transferred (Sister Mamea stayed and is now companions with Sister Holmes - so lucky!)
I am now in Korat - in the same Zone as Mahasarakham, so I think I can probably request to go visit everyone!  I hope so anyways.  :)
I feel so lucky to be here.  All I really wanted for my last transfer was to able to ride my bike and work hard.  That's what I get to do now!   I forgot how good it is to ride my bike and be able to see the stars.  It truly is the greatest.

This week we also saw a miracle - an investigator who was a member referral got baptized.  The miracle is that she was actually able to get into the font.  She got into a car accident a while back and the estimated recovery time was about 6 months.  It has been about 4 and she was able to do it!  I think she broke her hip and she had to get a metal rod inserted.  She called us Friday saying that she wanted to get baptized on Sunday!  And she was.  Sister Tasani.  She's so wonderful.  It was a touching moment to see her climbing up the ladder into the font - all of us were tearing up.  I know she has great faith and that God really helped her to do this thing.  She's wonderful!  What a great addition to the Lord's kingdom on earth.

I know that God will help us when we have the right desires and when we have faith in Him.  Miracles have not ceased to exist as long as the faith of the children of men persists.

I love you all!
Love,
Sister Norrell

(Sorry for the short email - I'll plan my time out better next time.  :)

Pictures:
Previously in Korat there were 6 missionaries and a Senior Couple.  3 of those missionaries left and they got 5.  So imagine that.  5 missionaries all moving to the same area at the same time.  2 brand new missionaries too!  That's a lot of bags.  Here is Sister Yanisa when we were all trying to check our bags in at the bus station.  At least 12 bags and 3 bikes. I think they hated us.  There wasn't enough room one the bus so we had to wait for our bikes to come on another bus.  

Elder Tamang's bike seat is really really high.  He's too tall! 

The Korat church is currently under construction - they are expanding it.  Luckily, we have a rented building!  This is the English sign outside the building  - along with the pretty sunset! 

TRANSFERS

Me and Sister Yanisa, with Sister Lam and Sister Jane (A Sister from Bangkapi that is just coming in this transfer!  She's so great.  And she's going to be trained in Chiang Mai.  Super jealous!) 

Elder Beatty got sent to Myanmar!  Won't be seeing him again for a long time.  :P

These kids are my new best friends.  Owen and Noel.  The first time I met Noel she was so happy that our names were so similar!  And the rest is history!

All over Bangkok!

This week was so good.  I feel so spiritually renewed and just so happy with life, no matter how uncertain it may be at some times.

This week we had the privilege of having a Mission Tour Conference with Elder and Sister Gong.  Elder Gong is a member of the Asia Area Presidency.  He's pretty awesome!  

On Wednesday we went to Asoke for a night devotional.  We talked about the Sacrament and how important it is.  Something I didn't realize is that is the most important ordinance we can do.  It is the only ordinance that we do for ourselves more than once in this life, and it happens every single week.  As we take the sacrament, something they told us we should do is to think about our personal relationship with the Savior.  They shared this scripture in 3 Nephi 11:13-15 : 

 13 And it came to pass that the Lord spake unto them saying:

 14 Arise and come forth unto me, that ye may thrust your hands into my side, and also that ye may feel the prints of the nails in my hands and in my feet, that ye may know that I am the God of Israel, and the God of the whole earth, and have been slain for the sins of the world.

 15 And it came to pass that the multitude went forth, and thrust their hands into his side, and did feel the prints of the nails in his hands and in his feet; and this they did do, going forth one by one until they had all gone forth, and did see with their eyes and did feel with their hands, and did know of a surety and did bear record, that it was he, of whom it was written by the prophets, that should come.

I was deeply impressed by this image of Christ.  I felt the Spirit bear witness to me that He was slain for the sins of the world, and for me individually.  He knows me, and He has paid the price for me, because He knew that I was worth it.  As we approach the sacrament, we should always be more reverent in respects to His sacrifice.  As I took the Sacrament yesterday, I felt so much peace in knowing that I can be forgiven of my sins and shortcomings.  I had a personal "one on one" interview with Him as I tried to focus on what I can try to do better.  I also really felt His help through His Atonement this week.  Sometimes I just feel tired and weak, but then I pray and somehow I am given the strength to keep going.  I know that He has paid the price for us.

Something else I gained a stronger witness of is the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ through the prophet Joseph Smith.  I felt the Spirit so strongly on Thursday as we went to Chaengwattana for the second session of Mission Tour.  We got up at 4:30 am to get there on time and not once did I feel tired.  I felt a constant stream of the Spirit the entire time - a constant burning within my chest that I knew came from being instructed from those chosen by God.  We talked about how important these things are to us.  I know that Joseph Smith did see God and Jesus Christ and that he is the first prophet of this dispensation.  The Spirit bore witness to me that it is true.  These things DID HAPPEN.  It isn't just a story, but it is true.

I learned something new about my calling as a missionary too!  I learned that all things that we teach have the end goal of making families happy in their homes.  Every single commandment we teach, every single doctrine - that is what it leads to:  Strong families.  That is God's plan - for us to return to His presence with experience, with eternal families, and with the ability to become like Him.  We didn't just come here to simply return again the same person.  If that was the case, we could have just never left in the first place.  But this is God's plan:   
Moses 1:39 "For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man."

I know that families can be together forever!

As I pondered these things, I realized that there is always more that we can do to strengthen our testimonies.  I was brought to the attention to some deficiencies in my testimony.  I felt a prompting that I needed to write my testimony daily.  I had an unused journal, so I started that night in writing how I felt and just a testimony of the things that I learned and of the things the Spirit taught me.  I have done it every day since then, and I have loved it.  It helps me look for the ways my testimony is strengthened each day, and helps me realize God's hand in all things.  Even if it is something small like feeling the Spirit work through me in teaching, or if it is like learning something new about the Atonement, it is all important.  I suggest it to anyone that feels like they need a little boost in testimony!

This week is transfers - it will be my last one!  We should be getting the call either today or tomorrow... I guess we will see what happens and where I will be this time next week!  :)

Love you all!
Sister Norrell

PICTURES:
All the girls swooning over Brother O (from last week) 

Me and Sister Mamea when we went traveling last P-day! 

More pictures of old Buddhist Temples! In Ayuttaya. 

We were so far away you could barely see us..

Me and my awesome companion! 

More old wats. 

We got to see and feed an Elephant! 

A lot of the members here call me "Snow" so I couldn't pass up the opportunity to take a picture with one of my creepy dwarfs! 

The aunt and uncle of one member here love the missionaries!  (They themselves aren't members, but they love feeding us!) They took us out for pizza and then out for dessert.  I got a crepe cake of course!  Delicious! 

Baptism Love!

Hello all!

So after a long dry season, we finally had a baptism!  Let's just say that he was worth the wait.  Brother O is awesome!  He is so prepared.  We taught him EVERYTHING (as in all the commandments, all lesson 5 and the plan of salvation) on Tuesday.  He was free and he is hungry to know all that there is to know.  When we taught him about fasting, he said "Can I fast before I get baptized?"  Of course! (Yesterday he decided to fast, and he just sat and read his scriptures as we all ate.  He's the best!!)  He interviewed the next morning (But I wasn't there because I was on a switch off in Saphaan Sung).  He passed with flying colors!  He loves reading the Scriptures, and he has such faith.  Apparently he also really wants to meet the prophet after watching Conference.  He also chose the hymn "We Thank Thee O God for a Prophet" for the opening hymn at his baptism.  Well, okay!  He's so good.  I just can't get over the fact that he is only 21!  (3 days younger than me) and we are the ones teaching him about these things that will change his life forever.  It seems very rare that you find someone this age who is so excited to keep God's commandments with exactness.

Even though things were crazy (the person supposed to baptize him thought it was next week and wasn't prepared, and the back-up guy went home already so Elder Fin had to baptize him) it went great!  He shared a great innocent testimony, and I can't wait to see what great things God has prepared for him in the future! 

Overall I really learned that God is preparing His children to receive the Gospel.  For a long time I have been feeling a little disappointed about the lack of baptisms we have experienced lately.  But I did receive a witness that God is preparing the best of the best to be strong converts and future leaders in His kingdom.  I'm glad that we were blessed in finding and teaching Brother O.  It really does show me that God's promised blessings are sure, as long as we are faithful to His commandments.  We just have to keep going, keep improving, and God will prepare the way.  It is a trial of faith that we must pass sometimes in order to receive the blessings.  Not no matter when the blessings come, they will come to the faithful.   

I am also learning more and more about how the Spirit works through us.  In simple decisions we made this week (such as where to eat or when to go shopping for groceries for Sunday) we were able to be made instruments in God's hands!  Saturday we went to eat at KFC, and we just so happened to get there at the same time as the Thanapon family who we have been working with lately.  Coincidence?  I don't think so... They bought us ice cream and they said they would come to church.  Guess what: They actually came!!!

Then Saturday afternoon we were teaching a more difficult investigator a second lesson.  As we were talking I was just praying for guidance.  He is a little more hard-hearted and looks for more physical evidence than a spiritual witness.  He says that he just wants to know how to be saved because he doesn't want to be born again.  So as we were talking, I started telling him something about a witness in prayer that I received and I really didn't even know why I was saying what I was or where I was going with it.  After I awkwardly stopped speaking (I didn't know the point of what I was saying or if it would really even answer his question) but then he said something.  He said that what I said was exactly something his dad said to him long ago, and it was something that he felt strongly about and that he remembered even unto this day.  He then asked "How did you know?"  I ask myself how He knows all the time.  The rest of the lesson went a lot better as his heart was opened just a little more!

Then that night we were at Tesco a little early so we were waiting for the Elders to get there.  We couldn't find what we needed so we were just searching aimlessly.  And then I see Sister Mamea talking to someone.  Little did I know that we would be led to these 2 people who we had just been discussing with each other how to get in contact with them!  The wife hadn't been to church in a while, and I've never actually met her, but members kept telling us we needed to visit them, but we just felt awkward about it.  But then we met them and it was all good!  She came to church for the first time in a long time yesterday.

Miracles are happening!  Just be faithful and wait for God's hand to be revealed in all things!

 17 Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed.

And now what you have all been waiting for: 

Pictures!

Brother O!  And now you see what happens when you give a Khon Thai your camera.  EFFECT!

With Elder Pratt and Elder Davis.  Elder ANngkham and Elder Finlayson weren't there because they had to hurry home to get baptismal clothes so Elder Fin could baptize him.  Wouldn't be a baptism if something didn't go haywire!

Yay Bangkapi!

Sister Khanoon - a Recent Convert who I LOVE! She used to be our neighbor....until the Elders stole our house.

The Thanapon family! Love them.

Me, Sister JoJo, Sister Nute (member), Sister JoJo's husband, and Brother Grit. I love them so much! Sister JoJo and her husband drove 3 hours in a car that has less horsepower than a motorcycle to get to church. She has a date for November 2nd!

Great things are happening.  Never doubt the Lord's hand and role in all things!

Love,
Sister Norrell

Conference Rocks!

Hello!

So I know you guys already watched conference, but here in Thailand we just got to watch it this past weekend.  It was so good!!  I can't even begin to explain all the talks that I liked or all the things that I learned.  I trust that you all relied on the Spirit to take out of conference the things that Heavenly Father had prepared for you to learn.

As for me, I learned about a couple things in particular.  The overall message, in my eyes, is this: 

As members of the Lord's church, or even just people privileged enough to know about His restored church if not yet members, now is the time that we are called to take a stand for what we believe in.  The time is past where we can learn casually or just half-heartedly live what we believe.  It is no longer acceptable for us to stand on the sidelines and pray that when the buzzer sounds we hope we will be found worthy to be accepted on the winning team.  Today is the day that we need to accept the truth and proclaim it and live it with every fiber of our being.  Now is the time to become true advocates of the truth - true and current disciples of Jesus Christ.  Now is the time that we must be readily prepared with testimonies of the Restoration of the Everlasting Gospel. 

A testimony is the most important thing we have to develop in this life. Knowledge is not enough anymore.  We shouldn't be trusting secular sources for confirmation of the truth.  Why would you even consider the though when you can ask the Creator of all things through prayer?  Learn to receive personal revelation and then trust it, even when things seem to get hard and you are forced to make a stand.  Don't forgo things that bring you true happiness when all you will get in return is the praise of man.  It simply isn't worth the switch.

 Applying the Atonement of Jesus Christ is the only way we will find peace in this life.  God's plan includes us facing trials in this mortal life, and we all knew in choosing His plan that this must needs be for our benefit.  We should embrace the opportunities that God has given us to grow.  He knows what we need and will give it to us in doses that we can handle.  We shouldn't ask for these situations to be removed - after all this is why we are here!  Rather we should plead to have the strength to overcome them and learn the things that God wants us to learn.  If you feel like it is too hard, or that God asks too much, we should take a step back and recognize all the things that God has given us.  Don't let your weaknesses debilitate or immobilize you.  This is a test - don't forget to be thankful for the answers you do know instead of always beating yourself up for the ones that you don’t know.   

Strive to improve the basics before you want to go on to scaling the full mountain.  There are some things that are so important in keeping us spiritually safe.  We should always be wearing our lifejackets, even in times of calm.  If we take them off, we may not be able to put them back on time before we are called to face the big challenges ahead of us.  Family relationships - strengthened through prayer, family home evening, etc. - are the most important things and we should never sacrifice doing them, no matter the cause.  These things will fortify our homes and protect us from danger that is lurking outside the walls of our homes.  Don't let the adversary in - even a little bit!  And it all starts with our own personal worship - in and out of our homes, and every day, not just Sunday.  Being a disciple of Jesus Christ is something we are all called to do, and it requires so much more than we as normal people can do on our own.  Never underestimate the value of your own personal contribution!  Your testimony is essential.

"The fundamental question facing all of us is not whether we will live but with whom we will live after we die. " - James J Hamula

"As we strive to place Christ at the center of our lives by learning His words, by following His teachings, and by walking in His path, He has promised to share with us the eternal life that He died to gain. There is no higher end than this, that we should choose to accept His discipline and become His disciples and do His work throughout our lives. Nothing else, no other choice we make, can make of us what He can." - President Thomas S Monson

"But no matter how large the organization of the Church becomes or how many millions of members join our ranks, no matter how many continents and countries our missionaries enter or how many different languages we speak, the true success of the gospel of Jesus Christ will be measured by the spiritual strength of its individual members. We need the strength of conviction that is found in the heart of every loyal disciple of Christ." - President Boyd K Packer

"Misunderstanding God’s justice and mercy is one thing; denying God’s existence or supremacy is another, but either will result in our achieving less—sometimes far less—than our full, divine potential. A God who makes no demands is the functional equivalent of a God who does not exist. A world without God, the living God who establishes moral laws to govern and perfect His children, is also a world without ultimate truth or justice. It is a world where moral relativism reigns supreme."  - Elder D Todd Christofferson

How thankful I am that I can add my testimony to theirs, and also to the words of the prophets of old recorded in our holy scriptures.  How thankful I am that we have a Heavenly Father to whom we can reach through the channels of prayer and personal revelation.  I know that He lives and that He loves His children.  He desires each of us to return home again, and has thus prepared the way for us.  I know that Joseph Smith restored this Gospel and that the Book or Mormon is true.  I have read it for myself, and I love it with all my heart.  I know that Jesus Christ is my Redeemer.  I know that He suffered and died for us, so that all that repent will be found guiltless before Him at the judgment day.  How great is our privilege to be alive in this day and age when we can hear the inspired words of the prophets via internet and to see the progressing of these latter days.  He will come again in all His majesty and power and glory.  The way has been prepared, and now the charge is ours as to how we will treat it and what we will do with it. 

15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. (Joshua 24:15)

I love you all.  Keep your testimonies burning bright.

Sister Norrell

Always in the Middle

Heelllooo all!

This week has been full of so many blessings, I don't even know where to start.  Really we have been working and waiting for these things to come to pass, and they are finally here!  

We have 3 baptisms lined up for the 18th and 19th of this month!  We hope to get another one sometime this week.  I don't even know how the Lord sees us fit to receive so many blessings.  Really, He is the greatest. We have Sister JoJo (the younger sister of a member).  Turns out her husband agreed to start bringing her to church every week (from a long distance) and she wants to get baptized as soon as possible.  So we plan on getting her baptized on the 18th and confirmed on the 19th.  She is so prepared.  She is one of the ones I know God promised me was waiting for me.  Another is Brother O.  We met him Friday, he came to church on Sunday and he accepted a date for the 19th.  He has had many experiences in his life that have made him interested in learning more about God.  When we asked him questions, you can tell that he has been searching for a long time.  He was so willing just to learn, to commit, and to do learn as much as possible about his Heavenly Father.  Our Pakistan families came to church this week too!  All 4 adults and 6 children.  It was so good for them to join us!  It was a little overwhelming trying to make sure everyone was being translated for.  We even started a different Gospel Principles class that was taught in English.  Sometimes we get a little stressed about the logistics, but I could never be more thankful for the blessings that God has given us!

We also had 2 returning members this week!  The oldest daughter and the youngest son of a family we have been working with.  I was so thankful to see them walking up to the church at 8:59.  I wasn't expecting them to come!  Every Saturday night when we buy groceries we see the youngest son and remind him to come to church on Sunday. And yesterday they actually came! It made me so happy!  It was one of those things where I thought my joy was full for the day.  I thought "okay, this is the Lord's tender mercy today."  But even after that they kept coming one after one.

One of my favorite things to tell investigators when we teach them is that God chose them to meet us.  God is calling them and waiting for them to respond.  He knows where they are and they were led to us or we were led to them at this specific time.  Every person that has met with missionaries or who has a family member or friend who is a member has the special and unique opportunity to be introduced to His Gospel.  There is no such thing as "chances" or "luck" when it comes to God's plan and His timing.  Each person we teach has a great blessing of knowing more of God's word and plan for them - people who don't listen or who never may come in contact with the Gospel don't have this opportunity.  God wants these people on His side.  Telling our investigators this helps them to see how important this really is.  It helps them to know how much God really does love them, and it also lets them know that now is their time to act.

I gained a strengthened testimony in the power of fasting this week.  I haven't been able to fast on Fast Sunday for a couple months due to health problems and the fact that I always seemed to be taking antibiotics on Fast Sunday.  But I got to fast this week, and it went so well.  I just couldn't help but just to feel so thankful for everything the Lord had blessed us with.  The windows of Heaven were opened to us through the channels of fasting.

Something I have been thinking about lately (as everyone likes to remind me that I don't have that long left here in Thailand...haha) is that we are always in the middle.  Even when endings come and new beginnings are there, we are literally always in the middle.  As I read this article this morning by President Uchtdorf I was reminded of how important this life really is. We don't want to spend the rest of eternities wishing that there was something more we should have done while in this life.  There is nothing more important than the way we choose to live this life.  So why not make every moment count? 

Link to President Uchtdorf's inspired words:
https://www.lds.org/bc/content/shared/content/english/pdf/language-materials/10367_eng.pdf?lang=eng

I love you all!  I hope you all got a chance to watch conference.  If not, go and watch it again!  Next week I'll have suggestions on which ones to watch again (considering I haven't watched it yet either...haha).  Don't take their words for granted.  Treasure them up in your hearts, study them and apply them through the Spirit.  I know that they truly are God's servants here on the earth today.  How wonderful it is to know that the Christ's true Gospel is Restored and that God still speaks to us today! 
Remember:
38 What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself; and though the heavens and the earth pass away, my word shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled, whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same. (D&C 1:38)

Love you all!!
Sister Norrell

The Lord's Timing

Hello all!

This scripture described my week!  I read it on Tuesday and since then I have been seeing nothing but fulfillment of the promises He has promised.

3 Nephi 1:8, 12-14

 8 But behold, they did watch steadfastly for that day and that night and that day which should be as one day as if there were no night, that they might know that their faith had not been vain.

 12 And it came to pass that he cried mightily unto the Lord all that day; and behold, the voice of the Lord came unto him, saying:

 13 Lift up your head and be of good cheer; for behold, the time is at hand, and on this night shall the sign be given, and on the morrow come I into the world, to show unto the world that I will fulfil all that which I have caused to be spoken by the mouth of my holy prophets.

14 Behold, I come unto my own, to fulfil all things which I have made known unto the children of men from the foundation of the world, and to do the will, both of the Father and of the Son—of the Father because of me, and of the Son because of my flesh. And behold, the time is at hand, and this night shall the sign be given.

This week I learned a lot about the Lord's timing (as I feel like I do almost every week...).  There were a lot of blessings being poured out upon our heads - we felt so filled that we were about to burst!  On Thursday we got a phone call from an investigator that we didn't remember.  He said that he and his friend were on their way to the church right then.  We felt a little frantic because they speak English (they are from Pakistan) and they were both male and we could think of no one to help us teach on such short notice.  We ended up having to wait outside the church for someone else to come (missionary rules...).  When our member got there, we taught them basically everything because they just kept asking questions.  They are Christian and apparently when they were back in Pakistan, one of their friends gave them a Book of Mormon in their native language.  But he didn't think much about it.  We met them twice near the mall, but never really thought anything would come out of it.  They accepted everything really well, and even want to get baptized...but they can't because they don't have visas.  Sometimes it is all in the Lord's timing.

Another great miracle this week.  I met a woman at the church - it just so happens to be an older member's younger sister.  She came to church last week too and her sister had spent the past couple days teaching her all about the Church, including the Restoration and the Plan of Salvation.  As we sat and talked to her, we heard the story unfold.  She doesn't live around here, but lives with her husbands family pretty far away. She wasn't happy and she's been searching for answers for a long time.  She decided that she couldn't take it anymore, so she called her sister to come get her.  Her sister that she hadn't talked to in about 2 years.  From her sisters perspective:  She had been praying every single day for the past 5 years for her sister to be ready to receive the Gospel.  And now the timing was perfect!  As we extended commitments to her to pray and read, she was firmly committed.  And then as we asked her to pray about the truth of these things, she said "Its all true.  I know it is true." She is so prepared.  Things she's been longing for have all been given her in the two short weeks she was with her sister.  She even wanted to take a Book of Mormon to her husband.  She said it would take a little work, but she's willing to do whatever it takes.  She'll be getting baptized for sure in the future, but she has to go back home so it will be hard for her to come to church. Sometimes it is all in the Lord's timing.

I know that God is preparing souls to be baptized.  I have seen it and I am so grateful that I have been able to be a part of this amazing work.  I love seeing the faith people have, and their conviction to choose the right and stay with it once they've found it.  They long for it, but just don't know where to find it.  God truly loves His children and will not let our faith be in vain.  He has promised us many blessings, and they all depend on our faithfulness and willingness to keep His commandments.  He has many blessings in store for us - let us all be aware and ready to receive them in the Lord's timing.

Love you all,
Sister Norrell

Bangkapi Ward

Still in Bangkapi!

Hello all!

This past week we had transfers (Which means that I only have 12 weeks left....crazy!)  So what had happened was....everyone moved out of the area except for Sister Mamea and I.  Which means that we are now the most experienced ones in the area.  We got 4 new Elders in Bangkapi!  And no new Sisters...stinks.  But seeing everyone was so good!  Sister Ng is now at home, and everyone is moved to different places.  We enjoy getting to start over, and now with double the work since we are taking over the other Sisters area too.  Yay!  :P

Nothing too exciting happened this week really.  Yesterday (Sunday) was good!  I have been working a lot more on prayer, especially after a special "All missionary meeting" we had after transfers.  I have been feeling a lot of comfort recently and also just a lot of guidance telling me that I need to work on my personal relationship with God.  I can tell you it has gotten so much better since I have been a missionary, but there is always room to improve!  I love how in the Bible Dictionary it says that Prayer doesn't change the will of our Heavenly Father, but rather changes us as we ask for things in the name of His Beloved Son.  Sincere prayer comes from understanding our relationship to Him as we are truly His children whom He loves and desires to help us.

One scripture that really stood out to me this morning in studies was  Mormon 9:27-28

 27 O then despise not, and wonder not, but hearken unto the words of the Lord, and ask the Father in the name of Jesus for what things soever ye shall stand in need. Doubt not, but be believing, and begin as in times of old, and come unto the Lord with all your heart, and work out your own salvation with fear and trembling before him.

 28 Be wise in the days of your probation; strip yourselves of all uncleanness; ask not, that ye may consume it on your lusts, but ask with a firmness unshaken, that ye will yield to no temptation, but that ye will serve the true and living God.

I know that as we come to Him on our knees with a humble heart and contrite spirit, He will give all things to us in His due time.
One example came yesterday.  We had an investigator come to church for the second time this week, but she still has like no time to meet with us.  During Sacrament Meeting I was just praying for guidance to know how to find more daters.  Then I just had a thought : Just ask her if she wants to get baptized.  So I did after the meeting was over, and she said that she did want to!  How else would we have known if it wasn't for the Spirit and by the prayer of faith?  

I know that as we pray sincerely to our Heavenly Father, He will hear and answer our prayers.  He wants to bless us, but sometimes we have to ask before we will receive these promised blessings.


Funny stories for the week:  We had to switch houses with the Elders.  We went from 2 stories to one room.  We packed all of our stuff and managed to get it all to the Elders condo in a little over an hour.  I think we are masters!  Too bad the condo was actually filthy so we had to spend a lot of Saturday fixing it up and just doing a deep cleaning.  We just couldn't function!  Sometimes I wonder what these Elders'  "next life" will be like if they don't learn how to clean now! (If you know what I mean...haha)  The condo is new and pretty nice (now that it is clean and that the drain works in the shower) and it is closer to the main road.  The only draw back is that it is small.  I told Sister Mamea that we are going to get really close this transfer...literally.  Haha ;)

Other story: Saturday some members wanted us to go eat Swensons with them.  As we were attempting to find our way out of the mall (its a maze!) I see a Thai guy wearing a BYU shirt.  I stop and hesitate thinking about how awkward it would be to walk over to him, but then I just threw all reason out of the window.  Bad idea.  He actually had no idea what I was talking about.  He probably just thought I was flat out crazy.  I should have figured since I've seen all kinds of shirts (Even Alabama football shirts) in Thailand.  After I tried to explain to him why I was talking to him in the first place, I figured it was too awkward so I went to my fall-back plan "Do you want to go to church tomorrow?"  I am not sure if that merited a weirder response than before.  We decided that either he really just had no idea, or he was a Less-Active member that just didn't want to be found.  Oh well!

I love you all.  Thanks so much for the love and support you provide for me.  Your prayers are appreciated. 

Love,
Sister Norrell

Obedience isn't an easy button

SO this week...it was great!  It started out REALLY hard, just for various unknown reasons, but by the end of the week I feel like the blessings were just being poured freely upon us.

Sometimes it is hard to see all the blessings that God is giving you.  But even if you are doing your hardest, you can see them.  And sometimes you just have to wait for the promised blessings to come.  I really learned this week that sometimes God makes us wait to receive these blessings because He wants us to develop patience, persistence, and faith.  The longer we have to wait, the more we want it.  The more important it becomes to us and then our "true colors" will show.  Either we will give up and decide that God is not answering us, or we just keep going on with faith - working to qualify for the miracles that God has in store for us.

So what's your choice? 
(See https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/04/if-ye-love-me-keep-my-commandments?lang=eng)

This week we definitely saw a lot of blessings coming from the Lord.  We took some direction from the last training and we were able to open all the many area books downstairs and call tons of former investigators.  We got a referral from one, and then another one was so ready!

She was really willing to meet and asked a lot about Joseph Smith on the phone too.  We met her Saturday, and found out that Thursday night she had watched the Restoration DVD.  Then Friday morning she was taking her daughter to school and really just thinking a lot about it, wondering if Joseph's account was true or not.  Then that same afternoon, we called her.  After meeting with her, I think her biggest problem is just that she doesn't yet have a foundation.  She's ready to be taught again!  Who would have thought that she was downstairs in our house the entire transfer? (Her information, that is)  :)

Another miracle - yesterday after church I started talking to a member about Less Actives that we could work with.  She mentioned a family, and I asked her when she could take us to meet them - she said she was free right then!  So we called the daughter and headed over.  4/5 members of the family were there - all 5 of which are members of the church.

We got to know them and get a feel for them, and then they had to all go about doing their business.  The only one left was the oldest daughter.  We had a heart to heart with her about everything.  She really wants to come back, but since her dad wasn't really motivated, the whole family wasn't either.  She wants to see her family go to the temple, and her brothers become missionaries, and I think she wants to be one too!  She promised that she would come back to church this next week, even if she had to come by herself.  I felt like with her and her family, I could relate exactly to them - like every life experience I had ever had was something they needed to hear and could learn from.  Its been a long time since we actually got to go to someone's house, and I am so thankful that we did.  We will be seeing them again this week!

We were so blessed.  I don't know how I ever could have doubted.  Sister Mamea and I are needed here, and it is only the beginning of knowing why.  

I love you all!  Trust the Lord, keep on going with faith, and the Lord will surely bless you!

Love,
Sister Norrell

Another week in Bangkapi!

This week was really good.  I swear the weeks just go by way too fast!  I don't know where the days go, so it is really hard to give a day-by-day replay...all I know is that it is Monday and I am reporting about last week, then it is Thursday, then it is Saturday, and then Sunday again.  I guess time really does fly when you are totally engaged in the greatest work on the earth!  The work that engulfs the earth with the Gospel that must by proclaimed to ever nation, kindred, tongue, and people.  There is no where on earth I would rather be than in our little portion of the Lord's vineyard: Bangkapi.

There has been a little drama this week - and of course everyone tells the Sister Missionaries about it.  (Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to be as "in the dark" as an Elder...haha!)  We were getting all the latest updates and we got so overwhelmed that we didn't even know what to do with the situation.  Basically after receiving the most recent news, we were so astounded and shocked and at a loss of what to do, we just started laughing about it.  It was so ridiculous, yet so serious that we just couldn't stop laughing even though the entire time we were like "We really shouldn't be laughing about this!".  Sometimes, you just have to let go and laugh.  It doesn't do much good to be too stressed about things, especially when it is all beyond your own control to do anything about.

We saw a lot of success this week in our inviting efforts.  I still wasn't feeling completely up to par, but I prayed really hard that the Lord would just help me forget about myself and let me invite for our two hours so that we could be obedient.  It was some of the best two hours of inviting we have had in a long time!  We didn't get a lot of numbers, but I felt happy and just like I really had the Savior's enabling power become part of me.  Two of our investigators at church on Sunday came from that inviting.  One of them, who originally passed both of us and then decided to come back, said he just felt like he NEEDED to talk to us.  He felt like we could answer the question he has had in his heart for a long time.  He came early and stayed for all three hours of church!  After it was over, I was back to feeling a little weaker again, but it really was a testament to me that God does answer our prayers!

Saturday we made another trip to the hospital to get more antibiotics.  (Hopefully this round will clear it all up!)  And then we were going to be in Asoke anyways because we were blessed to be able to go to a special meeting.  (Yay for being missionaries in Bangkok!)  We got to receive a special visit from Elder Allen, the head honcho over all the missionary affairs of the church.  It was so so good.  He talked about perfecting our missionary work - working through the members and also holding onto the fruits of our labor.  It was exactly what we needed to know in this mission.  We've gotten fast at baptizing - but there's always a better way to do it.  It was almost like a slap in the face, but it was okay because it was done through the Spirit and with love.  It was so good to get some further direction, and also be in the perfect place to receive some personal revelation on how to be a better missionary in all aspects.

Sunday!  We had 3 investigators at church.  YES!  Talk about success!! It felt so good to have people at church again.  Then the best part is after church.  We got a new investigator.  We met her at The Mall Bangkapi - she actually came up to us and asked us where the church was.  But she got stuck at work so she didn't make it.  Turns out she just became Christian because God helped her find work but the church she was going to was all in English so she didn't even know what being Christian entailed. She wanted to meet with us so she could know more.  She came, we taught her the Restoration of the Gospel - about Joseph Smith and the First Vision, about the Crucifixion, about prophets and about the Priesthood.  By the end she just asked "Is it all true?"  We asked her if she really wanted to know and she said "I want to know so badly.  I will change my whole life just to know and to follow it."   We told her that the best way is for her to know for herself so we committed her to pray and bore our testimonies.  She has a couple problems, but she is so willing just to overcome them all.  She works on Sundays, but she's totally willing to take a pay cut for not going in just so she can go to church.  Or she will just find new work.  She's so perfect.  I can't wait to continue working with her!

This week was so great.  I was so thankful for all that the Lord blessed us with this week.  Something I really liked that I learned this week is that there is a difference between change and repentance.  Repentance involves the Savior.  We are told that no man can be saved except for it be on the conditions of repentance.  I love the account of the Nephites in the Book of Helaman.  When pride and wickedness was presented before them, they took this inspired approach:

 35 Nevertheless they did fast and pray oft, and did wax stronger and stronger in their humility, and firmer and firmer in the faith of Christ, unto the filling their souls with joy and consolation, yea,even to the purifying and the sanctification of their hearts, which sanctification cometh because of their yielding their hearts unto God. (Helaman 3:35)

True repentance comes when we learn more of the Savior and just try our hardest to yield ourselves to Him.  He knows more than we do, and we just waste our time when we fight against Him and His will.  He knows what is best for us, the question comes if we will know or not what is best for us.  In order to know, we must submit to Him and be humble unto repentance. There is so much more to this life - especially when we realize that what we do in this life determines the state of our next eternal life.  How much urgency should we display in this short time of probation and preparation that we have to meet our Eternal Father again. 

 13 That ye turn to the Lord with all your mind, might, and strength; that ye lead away the hearts of no more to do wickedly;but rather return unto them, and acknowledge your faults and that wrong which ye have done.
 14 Seek not after riches nor the vain things of this world; for behold, you cannot carry them with you. 

This time is of infinite worth.  Remember to look to God in all things, and constantly strive to improve.  We can try to change on our own, but what good will it profit us if we try to do it without the help of our Savior?  He is the only one that can free us from sin and forgive us for our mistakes.  How great is our need for Him.  He truly is the Son of God and our Savior and Redeemer.  Remember that it is never too late to start where we are.

 27 Thus we may see that the Lord is merciful unto all who will, in the sincerity of their hearts, call upon his holy name.
 28 Yea, thus we see that the gate of heaven is open unto all, even to those who will believe on the name of Jesus Christ, who is the Son of God.  (Helaman 3:27-28)

I love you all!  Until next week!

Sister Norrell

Funny pictures:  Saw some cute outfits for dogs.  Maybe Chewy needs a Halloween costume!