Dear Familyyyyy,

It appears that nobody has any questions.
Now I can proceed.
Last week was Elder Olinger's Birthday. We are going to celebrate by going to McDonalds? Well, It's his birthday, and he wants to go. After that we'll have to get some ice cream, after all I never did celebrate my 6 month (out of my total mission) mark.

I need to give an appropriate shout out to our ward for sending a great Christmas package my way. THANKS!

This week I need to repent by reading over all of the rules again and seeing if there is anything I'm doing wrong or not doing. If I make sure that I'm being 100% obedient to all of the rules then I don't need to worry, I think. This week I had two days where almost every single appointment canceled. Specifically two days ago I had all of my appointments in the morning cancel and then I waited 45 minutes for one guy to return to his house and it turns out that this guy's heart was not open to the spirit at all. He told us that maybe one day when he was suffering more would he go read the Book of Mormon. Until, that day he's satisfied with his current situation. I think one thing I learned from that situation is that If they aren't open up to the message about God our Father then they don't move on. No amount of truth can open someones heart, but If their heart is already open then truth will pierce them to the soul and affect them profoundly. We truly are the gate keepers of our hearts.

I've had a lot of opportunities to be directed by the Spirit while being on the Lords errand. Yesterday I was out inviting on a street called Petgassim 114. We were going to leave the street to go teach a member family. In this situation I could have walked down to the main road and picked up a taxi, rode on a mini transporter truck to the main road and then used a bus, or kept inviting until a taxi came from the side street that I was on. So I stopped and thought about it. My companion was confused because he didn't understand the dilemma. For some reason I just felt like we needed to keep walking and inviting, even though we needed to leave. As I thought about walking back (the street wasn't that far away) I knew that I would regret my decision if I did. So we kept walking past another house where we saw a random guy and said hello (in Thai of course). He said that he was investigating the Christian religion and that he had a friend who was Christian. He didn't make an appointment with us, but he took our number and after that a Taxi came buy and we took off. I felt relieved as if I had done my part.

I've felt the promptings of the spirit on many occasions, as well as the presence of the spirit. Similar to when we testify of truth and we feel inside that what we are saying is true, many times when testifying in a lesson I will get that feeling. When the person who is hearing doesn't listen or open up then the feeling is different and it's easy to tell if they are opening up or not. And then If I am teaching and I don't feel how I know I should then I'm doing something wrong.

Time to go. I'm trying really heard to keep myself open and humble and submissive and motivated. So, I'm doing alright. If I wasn't trying really hard then, well, I wouldn't be so happy. For sure.

Love you all,
Especially you Mom and Dad.

Elder Lilly