Chastening and Trials of Faith

Oh this week.  I'm kinda glad it is over.  It was hard, and we are exhausted...from not being able to go anywhere!  So after all the chaos of this week, we received instruction that prohibited our normal working for the past couple days.  It started Thursday night when a member got a phone call saying that a city wide curfew had just been initiated.  The missionaries received one as well.  We had to be home before 8.  We were also told that we needed to have enough food for the next day...or 3.  Ramen noodles it is!  ;) 
So Friday, we weren't allowed to go out unless we had appointments...thankfully we did because we were done cleaning our house in 2 hours.  We still had to be home by 8.  Since then we had been able to go out more, but we couldn't go contacting because we didn't want to draw attention to ourselves.  So pretty much this week had been a lot of sitting around doing nothing.  Guess with this recent change in the mission, where contacting is the priority, when we can't do it, we don't know what to do with ourselves.  But we just got news this morning that everything is back to normal again!  

Besides that, this week was good for a couple different reasons:  
1)  We got a phone call Wednesday morning.  We were expecting it to be the Elders, but nope.  It was Brother Sing!  He apparently just had problems with his visa, so he hadn't been able to come back before then.  But he's back now!  That was the best phone call I ever received!
2)  Even though we couldn't go contacting, we did receive a really good referral from our Branch President.  He referred us to a lady named Bua.  We called her and she told us pretty flat out that she wants to see if Christianity can help her daughter, NamPhng (Honey, or water of the bee? Haha).  She's 11 years old and refuses to go to school.  We went to see them immediately.  I feel like it has been a long time since we've taught in a home as opposed to the church.  It felt really nice.  We think NamPhng gets teased because her mom only has one arm.  But she's the sweetest girl. She doesn't say much, but she smiles (it doesn't help too much when we are trying to see if she understands, but we love her).  The first time we met her, I felt like I had known her my entire life.  It doesn't happen too often, but I was able to feel the Spirit so strongly with her from the get-go.  I know that we knew each other before this life, and that she is one of the reasons I am in this area.
3) Sunday, everything seemed to be going not quite so good.  We didn't get to go contacting, so our investigator pool was really suffering.  And then during sacrament meeting, I was just flipping through my scriptures and found this verse (Hebrews 12:11): "Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby"
You know it is going to be a good day when that's the first thing you find!  This week was trying, and things didn't seem to go perfectly as we planned, but things always work out the way God planned them!  Remember to "dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no  witness until after the trial of your faith." :) Even though I couldn't see it at the time, God was preparing the way for us long before we even knew we needed it.  He provides!

Just keep swimming, and God will reveal His plan in His own way and in His own time. 

Until next week!
Sister Norrell

An Unforgettable Week!

This week was...interesting.  And hard.  But the work doesn't stop and God still continues to pour out His blessings upon us, even when I don't feel worthy to receive them.

We went contacting.  A lot.  This week was the last week we could get people to church to get them baptized on the 25th.  It was a humbling week, but I saw the Lord's hand through it all.

Many odd things happened this week.  Wednesday, one of our investigators (taxi man) asked me to marry him.  And then as I tried to change the subject to that of missionary related things, he prayed to ask God for me to marry him.  That's when I knew this week was going to be unique.  Thankfully that investigator told us he wasn't interested in learning anymore yesterday.  Unfortunately, he was one of our best potentials for baptism on the 25th.  But now I don't have to worry about whether or not we should teach him anymore...

Thursday we were getting dinner at the market before heading home.  I was waiting for Sister Sawangong to get her food.  I was talking to her, and then I felt an urgency to look behind me.  As I did I invited this lady to come to church with us without even thinking first.  She says she believes in Christianity, and she really wants to be part of it but her mother forbid her from doing so.  She's read the Bible several times, and she said "The only thing I haven't done is gotten baptized".  We talked for a little bit, and she told me "You know, I was just feeling like a lost sheep, and then you found me."  What is there more perfect than those few words.   The Good Shepherd is gathering His sheep.

Friday, as we did our "normal rounds" walking the streets, looking for people to teach, I suddenly was infused with a sense of urgency.  A feeling that someone I needed to meet was near and that I needed to find them.  I saw this one lady - I felt like it was her so I tried to walk fast to catch up to her.  How she walked so fast in high heels, I don't know, but I tried.  Then almost immediately, I stopped in front of this other lady with her daughter waiting for a bus.  I started talking to her.  Turns out it is the same lady that the Elders told us about already.  She has already met them twice randomly on the street this past week.  This was encounter number 3 for her with missionaries.  I think God really wants her to come join with us in Christ's true Church on the earth today!  Unfortunately, she didn't come to church yesterday, but I am sure that is not the end of her story.

Saturday we worked really hard.  We walked for hours and got what seemed like little to no success.  It was hard, and I was dreading the next day (Sunday) because it seemed like we had no one that was going to come.  Then at sports night, I received two different phone calls from missionaries in other areas with referrals.  3 people.  Perfect.  I called them all, and one of them came to church on Sunday!  Peace is really interested in learning how our church is different from other churches.  I think he watches televangelists... but I had a fun time trying to explain to him what is different about our church.  That's something I could talk forever about.  I think he should be good.  We are calling him again tonight!

Brother Gan got baptized yesterday!  It was a great day - you could tell he was just really excited to finally be able to enter into these covenants.  The best part:  he loves repentance and he can't wait to endure to the end.  I know he has waited a long time for that day, and now he can qualify for all of God's promised blessings!

Through it all, I really learned this week the value of obedience and hard-work; not because I am able to bring about great things through them, but because those are the standards to which God holds us in considering our deserving-ness of blessings.  The blessings don't come in ways that we expect them to all the time, but they will come, in God's own way and in His own timing, according to our faith and diligence.  Faith is manifest through our works, and that is the means by which miracles can be wrought.

Love you all!

Sister Norrell

Pictures:

We went out to eat with Sister Natthaya's family at a super nice restaurant.  

Contacting outside of Big C Extra!

It rained on Tuesday.  The Elders ran to the church from Big C Extra, and were soaking wet.  So logically they decided to play basketball!  We didn't want to get SUPER wet so we took our umbrella out.  Needless to say, no one came to English that night because of the rain.  6 students, 6 missionaries.  Yay!

Me and a member (Sister Ploy) when we all went to the water market two weeks ago!

Sunrise from our apartment

Our Baptism this week!  Brother Gan, and Brother Brajack that baptized him (closest to Sister Sawangwong)

Sister Gift's baptism (last month...)

Greetings on Mother's Day!

Just a little story.  Not a lot for today, since my time is almost up.

   ( note from Mom: Amber spent most of her time talking to the family via Skype.  Hooray!)

A funny thing happened yesterday.  We got a call from a man on Saturday asking about Church.  We told him about it and we also called him (and woke him up) yesterday for church.  Then we also ran out and got him from the street and showed him where the church was.  And then as we got to the church, the Elders were like "Hey!  How are you doing?".  I was a little perturbed.  This investigator that we worked so hard to get to church and the Elders just snatched him up.  I spent a little while just a little angry.  But then as we started the meeting, we sang "Did you think to pray?"  and one verse particularly says "When your heart was filled with anger, did you think to pray?"  So that's what I did.  I prayed then I opened my scriptures to Alma 26: 19-22.  I realized in those verses, that I shouldn't be angry.  It isn't about me or the effort I put in, but rather the potential that each of these people have as children of God.  What is the potential of a human soul?  Its capacity to become as God.  All people have the potential, no matter who has the opportunity of helping them realize that potential.  We are all saved by the grace of God from the depths of hell.  What more could we ask from Him?

Love you!

Sister Norrell