10 months!

This week, I saved this email until last, and once again I don't have a lot of time. Oh well! Enjoy the pictures! On Saturday it was my 10 month mark so to celebrate I wore all Pink!! 

There is sunshine on my face today🌻

36 C but feels like 42 C was the temperature today. It has been so hot lately. Next month will only get hotter. Yay Thailand! 

This week the highlight was last Monday night when we went to our appointment with our beautiful investigator family and we saw a picture of the temple hanging up in place of where they used to have a cross. I stopped in my tracks and almost cried in joy when I saw that. We had a lesson about Nephi building a boat and talked about faith requiring action, this family (Mew, Deck, and Kung) are full of faith. We made a plan of action with them for them to get baptized (there are a few things that need to take place before they get baptized but we hope that it gets figured out soon because they are so prepared and desire to be baptized!) 

The elders found this one lady earlier in the week and then referred her to us. We went to visit her, and we find this little shambled hut on stilts. We talked to her a little bit. She just had a baby like a week ago, and has another child that is 19 months old, her boyfriend is gone a lot, AND this woman is younger than I am. My heart went out to her. She seemed a little hesitant to talk to us, but said we could meet again. I hope we can teach her the plan of salvation so bad! She needs the hope this plan brings, we all do. 

On Saturday we had a day full of inviting and a determination to find someone! Someone that will receive us! It's always hard to just do straight inviting and not having a whole lot of appointments, but we kept going! We visited one member at her work and committed her boy to read the Book of Mormon everyday (you might have seen my post on Facebook. BTW you can all be friends with me on Facebook if you friend request me) but then after that I was thinking 'maybe we should just go back to the church' but my wonderful companion said 'Do you want to try to talk to some people over here before we go?' So we did and talked to everyone over there. And then we kind of had a pause and then I said 'ok let's try over here now for a little bit” so then we went a little farther and talked to all the people over there in that part of this little market. We got a few numbers too. We were getting pretty tired and thirsty, but then we went a little farther and turned a corner and we were able to talk to some more people and got a few more numbers and potential investigators. 

Biking home, Sister Pim and I were exhausted, but in the best way. It felt good to have worked hard. My face hurt from smiling all day. 

The Prophet is coming to Thailand, and this whole country (and Laos and Myanmar) are excited! We think the temple is coming soon! 

Pray to your Heavenly Father with all the energy of your heart that you will be filled with love! (Refer to Moroni 7:45-48) 

Love you all รักนะ 

ฃิสเตอร์พีเตอร์สัน

1. Deck and little Mo trying to download the gospel library app

2. Biking on a busy bridge after working hard on Saturday. 

3. Eating with our investigators 

4. Baptism schedule we did with them 

Finally a decent email!

DQ blizzard: probably the weirdest blizzard I've ever had. Mango sticky rice almond. It wasn't too bad... 

Sorry for the slack everyone on my previous emails... so much happens in a week and it's hard to recap all of the experiences on a preparation day because sometimes it's just nice to have a day where I don't have to think so much! 55 But I will repent and put a better effort into my group emails because maybe someone will read it and like it ()
I found out yesterday that an investigator that I used to teach in my last area บางนา got baptized! I remember praying lots for her, planning lessons for her, worrying over her, constantly calling her, trying to get her to come to Church, read scriptures, pray, etc. And I am so happy now that she made the decision when she felt ready to follow Jesus Christ. 
So much has happened in the last 2 weeks. Our zone and mission is trying to work harder and smarter. As a mission we have been short on our goals for the last few months, and we want to change that. So my zone leaders have been giving us challenges and goals to reach for, and it has been really hard, but give us more urgency in the work. One of the things they want us to do is to find 4 new investigators before Thursday every week. The assistants to the President want every companionship to find at least one new investigator every day. President Johnson also raised the minimum standard balance. So yes I have been stressed, but have been trying to give it my all, and look for the little miracles. 
In my last weeks email I had briefly mentioned about being locked out.... long story short, I forgot my keys at the church around lunch time, and then the members who were cleaning the church took my keys and forgot to tell me until after 10:00 pm (and after we had already got a member to saw off our pad locks). I was so annoyed. Patience. 
This week has been kind of dry. Not a lot of people willing to meet with us, or talk with us. Faith. 
On Friday we had Zone Conference and it was so good! It was just nice to sit and not have to plan for one day to be honest! I learned a lot of great things, and had an interview with President Johnson, who always encourages me and makes me realize that my work here in Ayutthaya is worth something! Even if not many accept the message.  We also had Mexican food and PBn'J's which was a plus. My cute companion had never had a pbj and thought it was so weird but liked them! Haha 
The Prophet President Nelson is coming to Thailand next month and we are all so excited!! We hope more progress will be made on the announced temple. Maybe they'll break the ground...??! I hope so. These members here need a temple. This country needs the light that a temple brings to a nation. 
I gave a talk in sacrament today about reverence and showing respect for the church and coming to church on time. After I had talked about reverence in sacrament meeting I began to close with my testimony and share my love with the members. One of the members (older lady in the back) made the 'I love you' sign in sign language but it looked more like a punk rock n roll gang sign the way she did it. Yay for reverence! 
On Saturday we had an appointment with a potential investigator (finally) and we were so excited because we don't always get the chance to teach lessons (lately) we call her and confirm and we get there, and she's not there. "Oh yeah she had to leave... Don't know when she'll be back Sorry". So annoying. So we try to call we other people to see if they will "receive us" and nothing. SO we decide got to the sports park and begin to invite. We talk to a few people and they're nice but not that interested... we keep walking until we had made a full loop. Sister Pimsuwan felt prompted to talk to this one older man sitting at a park table. We say hi, and he was so gracious he let us sit down and started talking with us right away. We got to know him a little bit and told him we are missionaries that teach about Jesus Christ. He sounded interested and asked us to teach him 'Our message'. When we first started talking with him we asked about his family and found out that he had a child that died. We started teaching the Plan of salvation right there. He is a pretty devout Buddhist but feels it is important for people to have religion and principles to govern their lives and to actually live ones religion and standards. He said that we were the first "disciples of Christianity" that he's talked to and felt that it was good luck that we met. He has, what looks like a loving family which is hard to come by sometimes. We hope and pray that we can teach this Grandpa again. 
I think we're going to a museum today :) 

"Great numbers profess belief in him and his works, and yet relatively few honor him. Millions of us call ourselves Christians, yet seldom kneel in gratitude for his supreme gift, his life"

“It is imperative that you not neglect your families. Nothing you have is more precious. … When all is said and done, it is this family relationship which we will take with us into the life beyond.”

Love, ฃิสเตอร์พีเตอร์สัน

Crashed bike and locked out

This week has been crazy! This week we were given all of these challenges from the Assistants and our Zone Leaders that really made us stretch and use our faith! There were some hard days where we would just search and invite and hope for miracles, and in small little ways after following little promptings, those miracles happened! 

On Wednesday I had the 'bright idea' to study outside on the side of town we were (not a good idea in the heat) and so we were both hot and tired after riding our bikes. I lane changed and kept looking back to make sure Sister Pim lane changed too when I smacked into the back of a stopped pickup truck. I'm fine (just my pride and a few bruises.)

I'm all out of time but I KNOW that there are miracles to be found! I love Thailand and the chance I have to serve! I only have 9 months left! 

ฃิสเตอร์พีเตอร์สัน