so this week has been an interesting week of sleeping, not sleeping, miracles, and tender mercies. monday we went to another mountain! this time... no riding ostriches... instead we went to a strawberry farm. anyone want to eat a red, ripe strawberry???
for district meeting on tuesday, we played jenga. the whole time, elder christensen (the district leader, or as he likes to call himself "Lord of Chiang Mai") ran around - "hey! whatcha doing?!" "don't pick that one!!!!" "CAREFUL!!!" even "I'm a distraction!" you think? he then related it to patience. i love going over the christlike attributes. i always feel like he goes over "the one" that i am struggling with... when in reality... i probably always just struggle with them all. fallen man. it's a bummer deal. but so cool to learn! i was studying about "approaching the throne of god with confidence" this morning... even though we aren't perfect, we still can manage to have confidence that we ARE doing all we can. we don't have to feel down "in the pit of despair" because we aren't perfect. but we can know that god is pleased with us! i feel like the atonement is something that i experience, but don't always understand. it is something that we almost can't understand UNTIL we experience it.
during english on tuesday night, sister remington and i were in charge of "talking time". basically... an excuse to talk to people in ENGLISH! and you have a captive audience... so why NOT teach them a little of the gospel too???
i used to be afraid of talking about the gospel in normal settings. if my mission has done any ONE specific thing... it has showed me that you really can talk about the gospel ALL THE TIME. you just have to be looking far/receptive to the opportunity.
wednesday (the beginning of my fight with sickness) we had a lot of time planned to invite. the same thing happened on thursday. we tried a "different" contacting method... which consists of us sitting on a bench and talking to people as they pass. it's nice... you don't have as many people run away from you. AND... added bonus of sister ellis doesn't have to feel like her head is going to explode. we also saw some weird asian version of power rangers in the mall? it was funny. i've never seen/heard of a childrens tv show here other than doraemon. i know feel well cultured.
on friday... i was almost dead. we managed to get out of the house for our appointment at 1 with yoshu. he still can't come to church... but he seemed really open to trying and praying to find an opportunity to come to church on sundays. (you can pray for yoshu too.) he's a great guy. works for an orphanage and watches the kids all day sunday. believes the church is true too.
right after yoshu we'd planned to go contacting... but another one of our investigators just happened to show up! so we taught her... and right when we were about to leave her lesson... an RC showed up at the church. so... god was definitely mindful of a sick missionary last week. he let me stay at the church most of the day and hand-delivered some investigators to us! oh yeah. he also led a chinese woman named sandy to the church. and guess what? i remembered the ONLY word in chinese that i know. BAPTISM! yeah. tender mercies.
so we ended the week... sick. it was rough... especially to stay positive when... everything else seemed to be icky and gross and not-so-great.
but god is still mindful of us.
we got a call from the elders last night telling us that they were giving us a new investigator/dater... he'd just called and asked when the church was open. if he could meet that day. also had brought an LA with him to the lesson. and they gave him a date for the 8th of next month!
it was really awesome. shows me that god sometimes (or most of the time) works through other people.
well... the last thing!
i have a new poem.
(sorry if you all hate them. i liked this one...)
emmaus.
on a lonely road there walked to souls,
each one caught deep in thought.
they thought of what had just occurred,
and from heaven guidance sought.
they walked along, though silently,
they had not much to say
when a stranger they saw walking,
coming toward them on the way
he greeted them as they walked by,
and asked what way they went
they did not know it was the lord,
he back from heaven sent
their eyes were holden - they could not see-
they did not recognize
the savior who beside them walked,
who stood before their eyes
he asked whom they were speaking of,
and why their hearts were sad
who is this jesus? he who died -
what a story to be had!
art thou a stranger here? one asked.
and know not what was done?
the son of god - CHRIST the lord,
of him our prophets sung
it was him for who we thought we looked,
from moses til today
we hoped in him the law complete,
that he'd wash our sins away
it was too sad he had to die
before his mission done
now he lies unmoving, in a grave...
death's another vict'ry won!
then christ asked them - why do you not
recall all that he said?
that he would die and rise anew,
death and sin you need not dread!
in his atonement he was the lamb,
the offering supreme
to take away man's sin and stain
to make all pure and clean
he looked as thought he was to part,
to go another way
but they called for him to eat with them,
dark foretold the end of day
as they sat to eat he broke the bread
and gave them to partake
to all who would receive christ's name,
he would their sins forsake
at once they knew it was their lord -
they quickly looked to see
but he had vanished from their view
in quiet tranquility
did we not feel our hearts to burn
while he taught us by and by?
god's promises are yet fulfilled!
the spirit we can't deny.
they quickly ran to tell the tale
of christ's power over strife
of his triumph over death and sins
that leads all to celestial life
in jeru'slem he then appeared
to his disciples yet again
to the frightened soul he answered -
peace be unto you my friend
christ called them all to feel his hands,
to ALL says "come and see"
to remind us of the price he paid
so that we might too be free
sometimes we walk along the road,
not knowing what's ahead
but if we follow where christ went,
to heavnly gates we will be led
love you!
sister ellis
sister ellis
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