Happy 4th of Ju-Thai!

Week 6, Oh my goodness. Only 3 weeks left in the MTC... I've already live here forever, so what's another 3 weeks?  That being said it's been a very good week! This week also went by soooooo fast! 

This week learning Thai has been quite enjoyable! Slow, but I love learning it (for the most part). I can slowly read script (but I usually don't know what it means) and my grammar is getting better little by little!

My cold only lasted 3 days which was great! #blessed haha

My companion and I had a cool experience with one of our investigators this week. Our investigator Phii gob (Gob - with a down tone- means frog in Thai too) has been a difficult investigator for everyone because he's already taken the lessons before, but he said that he didn't feel any answers from God and that the missionaries before were just trying to change him. So anyways we keep trying to give him commitments, but he won't do it because he either doesn't have time, or says he doesn't believe because he's Buddhist. And we had no idea why he kept letting us come back (always reluctantly). We've tried serving him, have him come serve with us (he didn't have time though), just talking about family, or the joys of service. Well anyways Sister Bingham and I felt like it was time to stop beating around the bush and try to get to the root of his concerns. We asked him if there was anything that he wanted to learn and if he had any questions, to which he said he didn't. Then we asked him if there was anything that we could help him with, and he said "Why do you even care? You always ask if I need help, and I don't understand why." After that, the Spirit came into the room, and with tears in her eyes (ok that's an understatement, she was full on crying), sister Bingham said "We love you gob. We want to help you." He then told us about how when he met with the other missionaries, he felt like they just always wanted him to change and "rab baptisamaa! rab baptismamaa!" and that he didn't feel like they loved him. We then told gob that we didn't want him to change for us, or for his family (they are all members but him), but that we knew that this could bless his life and that we wanted him to change for him, if he had the desire. We then read Alma 32:27 and talked about even if he has a desire to believe, to let that desire work within him. I then bore my testimony about the Book of Mormon (I was borderline crying, Sister Bingham was sobbing) and I could tell that he felt SOMETHING! I bore testimony about how I know that the Words of Christ WILL help in his life and that I know for myself that reading the scriptures has helped me so much in my life. We then asked him if he would try again to read the scriptures and to pray to know if they are true and that God is real and that he loves him. He said that he wouldn't make any promises, but that he would try!!!! This was a major break through! Our teacher handed us a note after saying how well the lesson had gone and that it was a powerful lesson, and that we did a great job of helping him feel like he's not being forced. 

That lesson was probably the highlight of my week, which is saying a lot, considering ELDER BEDNAR spoke at last Tuesday night's devotional!!! And there were 9 other Apostles there too!!!! It was so cool, and you can just tell how much they love the missionaries and how much they want for us to be our best. After that devotional, I was able to meet up with 3 other Magrath kids and get a picture with them! Me, Sis. Cook, Elder Noad, and Elder Smith! 

Another highlight of my week was CANADA DAY! Haha I gave my district Canadian pins and pencils and they all tried their hardest to wear read and white in support of Canada Day. It was great haha. I also lead our class in the Canadian national anthem for our opening hymn. Sister Roberts and Engstrom were especially excited for the happy occasion and would proudly say to everyone "happy Canada day!!!!!!" They're hilarious! Some people at BYU also must have know that it was Canada day because there was a firework show later that night too! (It was actually the Stadium of fire in celebration of Independence day.... but whatever) we were able to stay up late and watch the fire works! 

We love going to study in the new buildings here! They have such nice study spots, some of which play music and overlook the campus. Some of them have great big murals (that I talked about before) that are exclusive art to just the MTC. 

I go to Thailand in 20 days. Ahhhhhhhh!

Anyways, I hope you all have a wonderful 4th of Ju-Thai today (my puns just keep getting better and better). Read the Book of Mormon! It truly testifies of Christ and it is only through Christ that we can we reach our full potential!  

Love you all!

Sister Peterson