Sawadii kha!
I don't get Sister Poulter and Sister Davis' emails directly so thanks! I love reading them!
This week has been kind of weird. Being back is nice but it's been kind of hard because a lot of the other investigators we had a month ago, ones who maybe were close to progressing or just starting to progress, seem to have lost interest in learning. The Elders took care of all 3 areas while we were gone and did a good job, but the focus was obviously on the people who were really progressing. So we're really grateful for their hard work, getting Meow and Gib baptized and keeping track of everyone but it's rough having an almost blank slate to work with otherwise. We have a lot of time to fill so that means jagging (handing out) english flyers and inviting, my favorite activity as everyone knows. So far we've had a little bit of success but 3 of the really great people we found are from other areas in Bangkok, thus, we get to hand them over to the Elders in Asoke. Kind of a bummer but the goal is to help all of Thailand grow, right!? We have two new Sisters coming in on Thursday and it will be interesting to see what happens with that. There is a chance that Sister Yinn or I could move, nothing is nanon (for sure). It's been great to see Sister Meow again, I haven't seen Sister Gib yet, but Sister Meow is doing great. She's going to be a huge strength to the ward here. She really wants to go to the temple. It's going to be rough to wait for a while.
Before I forget and in case we aren't together much longer, about my companion, Sister Yinn. Sister Yinn is from Stockton, California. She's been in the field for 7 months. She is a convert of 3 years and the only member in her family. Her family are Cambodian refugees and her parents can't read or write and only speak Cambodian and Thai. She grew up Buddhist. I believe 3 of her older siblings died in the genocide in Cambodia. She is half Thai because both of her parents are half Thai and then she is part Cambodian, Chinese, and Vietnamese. Many of the people we speak to think she is Khon Thai (native). Sister Yinn grew up speaking Cambodian and English and went to a Cambodian ward in California. It's cool to see the perspective of a convert and a Buddhist convert at that. I think it helps me understand the members here and Thai people in general. She's great and has a way strong testimony. She has a real desire to help people and to understand the Gospel better. She's super smart and always willing to help me with language and things like cockroaches :) It will sad if we change companions on Thursday. Hopefully we'll get to spend Christmas together but she'll be training in one of the next two transfers so either way we won't be together too much longer. I'm trying to soak it all in while I can.
So, today in personal study, I was reading in 1 Nephi 13 and 14. Every time I read these chapters it's like physical evidence to me that this Gospel is true, that the Book of Mormon is true. Maybe it's my love of history, but the fact that Nephi, in 600 B.C. is writing about everything that happened after Christ and we know that it happened according to what he says... How can anyone deny this Book?! Even if you look at it logically, scientifically, intellectually, which I do sometimes, scholars admit that this is an ancient record. How then, did a man in 600 B.C. predict the Great Apostasy, the finding and founding of America, and so forth. Blows my mind. And this is just looking at it logically.
I think the thing I've learned most thus far; the simplicity of the Gospel. I got it before but it's like I say, "Duh!" to myself everyday. Teaching people who are generally not Christian, or their basis of Christianity is usually not very deep, has made it necessary for me to only teach the basics and thus I learn them over and over again. It's interesting to understand more of church because over here, though they dig deeper in Sunday School and Relief Society, I still feel like they focus more on the simple, basic necessities. I think, maybe because that's what they learned that's all they had in the beginning. At home we know so much, we get bored with the primary answers; prayer, scriptures, church. But honestly, we need to make sure those are the foundation of every lesson, the focus of what we teach each other. Reminding people to follow those commandments because that is how we receive salvation. Not by understanding everything. Why do you think the subjects of General Conference are always the boring basics? If you haven't noticed, we've heard the majority of Conference a million times. If we truly believe they receive revelation from God we should realize what they teach and focus on those same things in our teaching, studying, and applying.
Sorry it's a little short this week.
Love you all!
Sister King
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