i think i went from one end of the spectrum to the other. the "high life" in bangkok... with lots of traffic, lights and noise... to dead quiet country-life. it's great. i miss the city, but i love this place so much!
the cool thing, with this area being so new, is that it's all up to us. like EVERYTHING. there are 2 long-time members here. and noone really knows what is going on. except the missionaries. so, we give talks. we lead the music. we play the piano. (oh... THAT'S an experience. hearing thai people sing. pretty much 100% tone deaf.) but they try so hard! :) it makes me so grateful every day for the wonderful members that we have. they all have been baptized since (at the earliest) december. most within the last 2 months. they went from being buddhist to christian, and changed everything about their lives. it makes me wonder what i would be willing to give up for god. sometimes a mission just seems like the beginning.
most young men in thailand are expected to be monks when they turn 21 to honor their family. we had an awesome experience with one of our recent converts that was asking what that meant now that he's a member of our church. the missionary said that it has been done before, but that you really aren't supposed to do it. the kid turned around and basically said that nope. he wouldn't do it. if god said you weren't supposed to, that's all there was to it. i'm constantly amazed at their faith.
on a lighter note... it was basically their first fast sunday yesterday. i've never seen so many sad faces... ;) but it was the cutest thing ever! i just kept praying that they would see some blessings come from it other than grumbly tummies...
we did have a recent convert get up and give a talk. i was so proud of her! her name is blue. (like the sky... as she informed us.) she's pretty much the first one that has given a real "talk"... not just standing up and bearing her testimony. oh. things are so great. so wonderful.
even though we basically... are at square one. we don't have any investigators. we have one "dater"... and he lost his phone while coming to our appointment last week... who knows if we'll see him ever again! it only can go up from here. but everything else is so great... i can see how much heavenly father is helping us here. the investigators will come. the baptisms will come. everything will work out.
i was trying to think about what i should write...
i thought... what DID we do this week? we walked. outside. ALL day. since we don't have any real investigators... our focus has been on inviting people. we get a few numbers... some of which aren't real. (that's a bit of a bummer... we have come up with a solution though! ask them to repeat it twice. ha. ha. ha.) i don't think i've ever sweat so much in my entire life. it's gross. and yet i'm happy? seems a little odd.
so. thailand. has three seasons. hot. hotter. hottest. it's true. but usually the hotter is mixed with rain. i'm not looking forward to hottest. which is what happens in april. (scared face) then - on to hotter! i'm interested in where i will be when the rains hit.
not that i'm trying to predict where i'll be... but who is going to stay here and if we are both going to stay here... is up in the air. sister mullen wants to die here. me... i love these people, but i'm always game for a new adventure. whatever the lord decides to throw at me. i found a scripture in 2 corinthians. 8:12.
it took a whole new meaning on for me this week. it doesn't matter if i can or can't speak thai. it's all about my willingness to do this work. whether i'm going to go out in the hot sun and bear the heat in order to invite people to be baptized and come unto christ... or if i'm going to complain the whole time.
we were challenged in our district meeting to focus on diligence this week. i feel like my willingness has been tried. especially on days when i feel like my skin is melting off my bones... but we went out, we got some numbers... we conquered! :)
it's the little things. the little steps. i started out contacting yesterday thinking... right foot. left foot. now the right one again. pretty soon we were down the street. then we were down another one. just focusing on that simple movement made everything else easier.
oh. and baptism yesterday.
happened a little later than normal.
so. river baptism.
in the dark.
so awesome.
alrighty! that's it for this week! love you and and keep fighting the good fight!!! :)
sister ellis
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i can't get away. even at lunch. ;)
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| our cute little "unit" |
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