AIT #30: June 18, 2003
Last Thursday we had the special DDM with Elder Keenan, who came down with Elder Rock from Lampang. He talked about how we need to make ourselves available to the Lord to do His work. After the DDM was over, we went on switchoffs. I got to go with Elder Rock for four hours, which was wonderfully fun -- it's been six months since we last did switchoffs together back in Bangkapi. Time sure flies by. Yesterday we did switchoffs again, this time with Elder Jorgensen and Elder Peterson. I and Elder Pete worked in his area and did lots of invites. We did start teaching one guy who had some kind of skin disease akin to leprosy (sores all over his body, many of them bloody), but he was drunk and wasn't very interested in listening to us. On Saturday we had a family home evening with a bunch of the youth and Tom bought us salted scorpions to eat. Yum. :)
We came home last Wednesday and found that our phone line had been disconnected because we hadn't paid the bill. (We hadn't paid the bill because the bill had never come.) Had to ride out to the payphone in front of 7-Eleven to call Elder Jorgensen, and then the next morning we went to the phone company first thing to pay the bill. For the past few weeks we've been taking addresses of old members to the post office and having them show us where they are (since addresses here aren't very orderly). It's been very helpful and we're getting to know the area very, very well. There are so many old members who've slipped away and don't have any contact with the missionaries for months or even years. Elder Haase and I have made it our quest to dig up as many old members as we can, so that they won't be lost any more. The results have been good so far but none of them has come back to church yet.
Really good news: Loogkit and her daughter came to church this week! We haven't had investigators at church for over a month or so, so this was wonderful. Not only that, but one man whom we taught on Friday came as well (Brother Chin). The work's taking off in a lot of ways. Tonight we're going to try to help Loogkit set a date to get baptized. We have a lot more investigators than we did last moves, which is really good. Sister Somkhuan invited us four elders over for mango/sticky rice again, tonight at 8. :)
I'm slowly starting to realize that my time is nigh at hand to go senior. As a greenie you feel like you'll be a junior forever, so this is really quite a shock. But the time must come and it will happen within a few short months. Am I ready? I sure hope so. :) Even if I'm not, the Lord will make up for whatever I lack, as long as I do my part.
Alma 30:31 -- "And now, as the preaching of the word had a great tendency to lead the people to do that which was just -- yea, it had had more powerful effect upon the minds of the people than the sword, or anything else, which had happened unto them -- therefore Alma thought it was expedient that they should try the virtue of the word of God." When we see so many people wandering in strange paths, not following God's counsel, there's often a temptation to just sit them down and *make* them obey, forcing them by the sword if they're stubborn. But that's not God's way. Through hearing God's word, people's hearts will change and they will change themselves. When we try to force anyone to change, whatever good we've done won't last very long; but when people see the happiness that comes from obeying God's commandments, when they taste the fruit of the tree of life, and when they then decide that they want that happiness more than anything else, *then* are the changes permanent and then are we successful in bringing people unto Christ. We're building a covenant-keeping people who love Christ and will keep His commandments even if there aren't any missionaries around to nag them. :) I know this gospel that we're here preaching is true and is God's word, and it's wonderfully exciting to see people's lives change as they cling to the iron rod and let Christ's light into their lives. Courage, brethren, and on, on to the victory!
We came home last Wednesday and found that our phone line had been disconnected because we hadn't paid the bill. (We hadn't paid the bill because the bill had never come.) Had to ride out to the payphone in front of 7-Eleven to call Elder Jorgensen, and then the next morning we went to the phone company first thing to pay the bill. For the past few weeks we've been taking addresses of old members to the post office and having them show us where they are (since addresses here aren't very orderly). It's been very helpful and we're getting to know the area very, very well. There are so many old members who've slipped away and don't have any contact with the missionaries for months or even years. Elder Haase and I have made it our quest to dig up as many old members as we can, so that they won't be lost any more. The results have been good so far but none of them has come back to church yet.
Really good news: Loogkit and her daughter came to church this week! We haven't had investigators at church for over a month or so, so this was wonderful. Not only that, but one man whom we taught on Friday came as well (Brother Chin). The work's taking off in a lot of ways. Tonight we're going to try to help Loogkit set a date to get baptized. We have a lot more investigators than we did last moves, which is really good. Sister Somkhuan invited us four elders over for mango/sticky rice again, tonight at 8. :)
I'm slowly starting to realize that my time is nigh at hand to go senior. As a greenie you feel like you'll be a junior forever, so this is really quite a shock. But the time must come and it will happen within a few short months. Am I ready? I sure hope so. :) Even if I'm not, the Lord will make up for whatever I lack, as long as I do my part.
Alma 30:31 -- "And now, as the preaching of the word had a great tendency to lead the people to do that which was just -- yea, it had had more powerful effect upon the minds of the people than the sword, or anything else, which had happened unto them -- therefore Alma thought it was expedient that they should try the virtue of the word of God." When we see so many people wandering in strange paths, not following God's counsel, there's often a temptation to just sit them down and *make* them obey, forcing them by the sword if they're stubborn. But that's not God's way. Through hearing God's word, people's hearts will change and they will change themselves. When we try to force anyone to change, whatever good we've done won't last very long; but when people see the happiness that comes from obeying God's commandments, when they taste the fruit of the tree of life, and when they then decide that they want that happiness more than anything else, *then* are the changes permanent and then are we successful in bringing people unto Christ. We're building a covenant-keeping people who love Christ and will keep His commandments even if there aren't any missionaries around to nag them. :) I know this gospel that we're here preaching is true and is God's word, and it's wonderfully exciting to see people's lives change as they cling to the iron rod and let Christ's light into their lives. Courage, brethren, and on, on to the victory!
posted by Ben at 6:47 PM
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