Week 13

No letter this week for you all but she tells me she's doing well!

In the meantime here are a few random pictures for your viewing enjoyment!

Pictures

Sister Maskovich, Bro. Om (Awesome member who always helps us and we are helping him with his mission application), Fluke ฟลุ็ค, Sister Peterson. 

Bosom friends ;)

Week 12 FLUKE!

So the best part of my week: Fluke, our investigator of like 3 weeks got BAPTIZED! 

He bore the sweetest testimony about going to try his best at keeping the commandments and how he has a family in the church. He has made so much progress and is awesome! God really does prepare people to receive the gospel. If y'all remember my email from a few weeks ago, I said that we had no investigators going to church that Sunday, so we walked the long way to church and there was no one on the street, but as we were walking, we saw ONE person across the street and waved him down and he actually crossed and came to church. And now he's baptized! 

 There was one day this last week where we didn't have any appointments so we invited for pretty much the whole day. It was hard because we went to a more "high so" mall and just got dirty looks and rejection after rejection. It was so loud that I felt like I had to yell over and over again just for people to hear me. There was one point where I was talking to every single person that was briskly passing by, asking if they wanted to go to church or to learn about Jesus Christ. I would talk to one person "no", turn around to the next person "no", over and over again. Even though that was hard, I didn't feel alone. I felt in that moment that God was (is) aware of me and was please with my efforts. And sometimes that’s all that matters is that we try our best, and it doesn't matter what the outcome is - if we get constant rejections, or 3 week investigator baptisms. 

We had transfers this week, and I'm still here in Bang Na! Yay! I didn't want to leave, it's awesome here! 

Love, 

ฃิสเตอร์ พีเตร์สัน

So much has happened this week! 

1. Dream world last p-day. 

2. Helping members move.

3. Inviting outside of Central Mall.

4. Zone Conference.. 

5. Fluke! 

Week 11 BACK IN BLACK

Hello everyone! This week was pretty good! I feel like it was a more effective week, and that always feels good. Daily planning is super important in that, and just to be willing to do what God wants me to do is what makes the work effective and the days fulfilling - if that makes sense... you know?

Back in Black - The 9th King of Thailand passed away almost a year ago, and for this month of October President Johnson has asked us to wear black out of respect for the King. So that means I wear the same black t-shirt everyday haha. "I only work in black." 

Last P-Day my companion's Grandma visited her from Udon (because my comp is half Thai, and a lot of her family is in Thailand) so Grandma fed us and took us grocery shopping to stock us up on food! I look so tall compared to Grandma and Great Aunt! (refer to attached photo). 

Sister Maskovich's parents and brother were also in Thailand, so they fed us too (yes we had permission), AND a member and her visiting friend wanted to feed the missionaries on another day, and the members (especially Sister Gahb) ALWAYS gives us food, like mooping, sticky rice, cheese tarts, etc. I think everyone wants me fat... 

The members are so awesome here. They are So willing to help teach - they ASK to help. They always give us food, and THEY just organized an activity for recent converts and investigators to help them feel more welcomed and to get to know them better. They gave out prizes and played games, so awesome. 

A member gave me cherry blossom flavored toothpaste this week. I also tried mango sticky rice flavored cookies too. Haha I love Thailand.

We've had some challenges with like all of our investigators except for one. I learned a hard lesson when we had a lesson with a newer investigator (who likes to talk about her problems a lot and won't come to church) and I have a really hard time having patience with people like that. So yeah the lesson wasn't really directed by the spirit and she and her brother just kept going off on how they are too busy, have karma holding them back, that we don't understand because we're white, etc. Ouch. And then the member who was present in the lesson gave us um... corrective criticism on the lesson. Yeah rough. If we had the Holy Ghost with us (and if I didn't let myself get frustrated inside) it would have been better, even though the investigators weren't that cooperative. But it's not about that, I just need to try the best that I can to teach with the spirit, and that is all that matters. 

"Some things matter, some things don't. Some things last. Some things won't." -Neill Marriott, Women's Conf. This quote, and other talks taught me to not let little things distract from an eternal vision, Elder Stevenson's talk was about that too! General Conference was such a blessing this week! Watch it and set goals!   

The language is improving, slowly, but I can slowly see progress! 

Love, Sister Peterson

Pictures

A random little boy who was way cute!

It's been raining lots lately and it's short skirt season now too! (yes mom is cringing with her being in that muddy water)

Week 10

Last P-day was amazing! Me, Sis. M, Sis Jackson, and Sis. Hendrickson from Samutprakarn went to the Ancient City in Samutprakarn. Oh it was loverly! We rode the free bikes around this ancient city/outdoor historical museum with ancient statues, and shops, and a Wat. My camera died half way through the day though :( 

This week has been slow with new investigators, and we had to drop a few too, which was a little sad, but it's time to find the new people who God is preparing! 

Remember that guy I was talking about last week who we had waved down, told him to cross the street and come to church? Well he is getting baptized in 2 weeks now! He is our most golden investigator and is so prepared by God. He understood when we taught the Holy Ghost and he said "I must have felt the Holy Ghost when I stopped and crossed the street. Because I wouldn't normally do that, but then something in my head told me I should." He wants to just keep learning as much as he can and is so willing to follow the commandments. I'm praying that everything goes well! He told me during fast and testimony (after the bishop had born his testimony about his conversion story) that he feels excited and wants to be baptized. And you guys, he's only known about the church for A WEEK. I hope that we all can have the same desire and excitement about the gospel as Fluke. The gospel should be the most studied subject in our lives! Study General Conference! It is so amazing that we have a living Prophet today! 

Love you all! 

Sister Peterson