Sister Pimsuwan and I are staying, BUT we are getting another companion to make a trio! And get this, she's the only other Canadian in this mission! We're way excited.
This week I had an experience on a switch off that inspired the title of this email. I was in Don Muang and I sat down beside a man on the bus. After about a minute I said hi to him and asked him where he was going. He identified me right away as a Mormon missionary (weirdly enough, most people don't even know what a missionary is) and this guy just went off on how tithing is stupid and how I should go be a missionary somewhere else because "these people already have religion, they won't change!" Then what he said surprised me too: "Ok speak. Tell me what you want to say that will MAKE me believe." "Well, what do you want to know." "Just say whatever you want to say for yourself." All I said was that we believe in a loving Heavenly Father and we are His children. He said a few other things and asked a few questions (not sincere, all aimed at trying to get me to stumble over my Thai words). I just tried to answer simply and ask about his family. (Turns out he doesn't have one anymore/isn't in contact, so I just figure he's just bitter at the world and at God). Then he said "ok you have nothing else to say, I will watch my movie now." Then he put his headphones back in.
In this experience, I felt my testimony "kick in", like my first line of defense had been taken down, and all I had left was my testimony of tithing, of the church, of the importance of missionary work - and I felt it keep me "standing up inside" while it was being attacked. Honestly, I learned that in that moment, if I didn't have a simple, strong testimony of the basic principles of the gospel, that man could have made me question my beliefs, why I'm here sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and more. I was reminded of the poem by President Monson (and I think it goes like this!)
Dare to be a Mormon
Dare to stand alone
Dare to have a purpose firm
Dare to make it known
I dare all of you to be a Mormon. Or in other words, I invite all of you to be a better disciple of Jesus Christ, so that when all of Satan's mighty hail and storm shall beat upon You, it shall have no power....over you because of the rock upon which he are built. (Helaman 5:12)
I know this gospel is true
I know we have a living prophet and that his words are the words of God
I know that Jesus Christ was resurrected and lives! There is power that comes with these beliefs, more than you know.
Love,
ฃิสเตอร์พีเตอร์สัน
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| From Sister Pim :) |
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