Dear Family....

                         This week fleeeeeeeeew by really really fast. I read your e-mails and I think that it's always good to hear that our cousins are still doing activities together often.  I think that our cousins are all so awesome and that we are very very fortunate to have such a large family living in close proximity to each other.  I think that we can be a great and positive influence on each other. 

                          I'm sure that Mom did an excellent job speaking at church.  Sometimes after I teach a lesson to the missionaries, for instance zone conference last Saturday, I am tempted to ask myself the question which is found in the title of a certain hymn called "Have I done any good?"  Sometimes It's hard to tell how well we did without getting any feedback.  But when you bear your sincere testimony you can never fail.

                          I would like to pose the question... what would you do if you couldn't fail?

                          This past week Elder Booth and I have been so busy that we haven't had enough time to even wash our clothes. Don't get the wrong idea, we washed our clothes. But Elder Booth had to take some of his dirty clothes to Yasothorn and then get them washed while we were on switch-offs there. Planning things out is imperative. Without it we would be lost. We plan our days out to the point that we should never have to ask ourselves that question: what should we do right now? 

                           I've found that a big part of our lives is our expectations. If we didn't expect to have to do chores on Saturday then when the unexpected chore gets assigned to us then we might not like it. But if you've already devoted your time to doing chores on Saturday then there's no feeling of injustice. I'm sure we've run into that situation before... even though we should always be willing to give up our time. In missionary work it is the same. We set the expectation to teach families, and then we start to see a lot more success in teaching families. We set the expectation for our investigators to get Baptized and then a lot more people get Baptized. And there is no feeling of mistrust nor fear of the unexpected. I'm sure going to church would be scary for the first time, unless they knew exactly what to expect.  ...And there's nothing worse than Dad and Mom looking at you in the face with that disappointed expression saying that they expected better of you.

       

                          Right now Elder Booth isn't feeling too well. I had the great opportunity to give him a Priesthood blessing yesterday.  There is such a power manifest in the ordinances of the church.  I felt comfort and strength from the Holy Spirits presence during the prayer.

                          I know that where the Lord calls the Lord qualifies. I've never been afraid of getting a calling on my mission because I am sure that the call comes from God.  I wish all of the members understood that divine call and never have a problem with their leaders.  And I wish all of the leaders understood that they need to depend on God from whom the call was extended. Life is pretty simple. We need to learn who God is by obeying His voice. And eventually we will have Eternal life.

  

                                                                       Love you all,

                                                                       -Elder Lilly 

P.S. What would you say about me getting a suit cut before I return home?  It could be around 150-200$

Dear Family,

 

Life is good. Candy is sweet. The entire mission is on fire right now. We have had the most amount of new investigators that we have ever had before. And now we are working extra hard to help to get people to come to church.  We are finding families. And that's what Thailand needs in order to get a Temple. We are so fortunate to have a Temple nearby.

 

A few days earlier I went on a switch-offs with Elder Blaustein who was my old companion from Korat.  He has changed so much. It's great to see his progression.  We were just full of joy throughout the whole day.  Right now he is companions with elder Tyrapong.  I feel glad to of had the opportunity in informing him about some of the things I learned from being companions with a native Thai.  He appreciated the advice and the new understanding about how to work with the Thai people.  They (usually) resolve problems in a completely different way than foreigners.  Understanding each other is so important. There's no problem that can't be fixed through correct understanding and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Recently we sat down and talked to a man who felt satisfied with his life. He has money, but not too much money, he has a "happy family", he has "enough happiness", he does good things, he is a good person, he has "enough" of everything that he needs. He refuses to consider the future because today is enough for him and whatever happens after death, to him, it doesn't matter now.  Well, meeting him helped inspire me to do some more considering about how we can help those who are as the scriptures would say hard hearted and blind minded. How do we help someone who is satisfied with his life's progression?  I still am not finished on studying about this subject.

 

I feel way grateful to have the time leftover on my mission that I do right now.  The Lord has been so merciful unto us in the past few weeks. We are spending every available moment in working towards our goals and increasing our service. I do feel the spirit of urgency as I go out to share the Gospel.  From every experience I ask myself... What does the Lord want me to learn from this experience?  And when I do so I have found that there was something that the Lord did indeed have for me to learn. Every time.  It reminds me of something that I noticed from Moroni 10:3-5. This of course is Moroni's promise to the world about how we can gain a spiritual witness of the truth.  In verse 3 he asks us to consider how merciful the Lord has been to the children of men from the time of Adam down until this time, and then ponder these things in our hearts. In 1 Nephi 1:20 Nephi explains that he will show unto the world that the tender mercies of the Lord are extended to all those who whom He has chosen because of their faith. This remains a theme all throughout the Book of Mormon. We need to remember how merciful the Lord has been to us and our fathers. Those whom we teach must notice and ponder the tender mercies of the Lord which is the message that the Book of Mormon has about Christ and His atonement and then they will receive a witness that those things, which they pondered in their hearts, are true. I think that it's remembering and recording the tender mercies of the Lord that helps us to fulfill the promise that the Spirit will always be with us. And then we can overcome all of the temptations and power of the devil.

 

I hope that all makes sense.  It seems that the scriptures are a journal of the tender mercies of the Lord. And through that we can follow those ancient peoples examples and learn who God is and how He is. "And this is life eternal that they might know thee the one true God and in thy son whom thou hast sent."

 

I love you so much! If you have any questions that you would like to ask me then feel free to ask them.

 

Love,

Elder Lilly

 

I translated for Elder Chen.

 

"If you put fish in a small tank then the fish stays small. If you put the fish in a big tank then the fish gets big.  Don't put your fish in a small tank! Let it grow. Let them grow!" -Elder Volk (talking about helping members to do depend upon themselves.)

Dear Family,

Thanks for the E-mails.

 I'm so glad that we get to read from the best book ever for an hour everyday. I've learned so much studying the word of God and looking at it from different perspectives. And then to get to spend another hour talking about it and applying it into our work is even better. I find myself rejoicing in the new light and understanding that I have been given as I discussed the Book of Mormon in my companionship study. When I get married I would like to have a companionship study of the Book of Mormon.  Lately I've been so busy with zone leader business that I haven't had much for free time. Usually I get home, plan, race to get ready for bed/prep to talk to the district leaders on the zone and then I gather the nightly results from the zone and send it in then it's already late and I need to get to bed. So I decided to wake up an hour early in order to study extra and to write in my Journal. Afterwards I feel so refreshed and the morning seems so much more peaceful.  I feel more ready to go out and do the Lord's work. Morning study beats study at any other time, hands down.

Also, I feel like I am starting to really understand the Thai culture and how to apply that knowledge to teaching.  The more I work on it the more I learn about it.  There are simple little things that we can say or do to help them understand clearly and be more open hearted to our message. For instance if we say that we are religious teachers than it sort of brings to them the feeling or idea similar to their schooling where they are forced to sit down and listen respectfully to the teachers without asking questions until the teacher calls for them. And we probably want money for it because we do it for a living.  But if we say that we are religious advisers or rather that we come to advise about religion, not teach about religion, then they get the feeling that we will come and advise about a religious path and that they can choose whether or not they will accept what is taught and apply the teachings to their life. Another example is what I talked about before that they need to have an understanding about the Plan of Salvation and get a taste of what restored truth is before they will really understand the restoration. Then we can go back and teach the Plan of Salvation in detail.

Yesterday and Saturday was district conference. My new companion Elder Booth and I got a call from President Smith informing us that they have no translators for the area seventy that was coming and he needed us to go and translate for him all day. So we did. Then on Sunday we did the same. It was crazy and kinda fun. While translating for the congregation I couldn't remember the word for light house.  I looked back to my companion and he gave me a word but it wasn't quite a light house. The congregation understood, but I will never forget the word for light house again. Praphakhan. Yeah. The area seventy was quoting from the hymn Brightly Beams our Fathers Mercy.  Unfortunately they don't have that hymn in the Thai Hymn book.

This moves is moves number 15/16. Elder Elwood moved out of the house, Elder Typagone went back to being a normal member, and Elder Hood got a new companion straight from the MTC, Elder Furr. I'm proud of Elder Hood. Other than that there are two more new missionaries in the Zone. Everyone seems excited about the opportunity to train.

President Oaks came to Thailand around the time of all of the Civil unrest. He gave a blessing to Thailand and it's people. He blessed Thailand to have peace. Ever since then there has been no problems that I have heard about. The Peace came so quickly and suddenly. So the work goes on. I sure do love being a missionary and doing the Lord's work.

Love,

Elder Lilly

P.S. PhatPhetPhrikMaMuang is way delicious. I could eat it everyday.

Dear Family,

 

We are looking for families to teach. There is a certain word in Thai that English doesn't accurately express. The word is graengjai. It is the feeling that you get when someone offers you help with something but you feel like you would be asking too much if you allowed them to. It is the feeling when you don't want to ask because it involves bothering someone else.  Most Thai people are very greangjai.  Usually people are way willing to help but too graengjai to have anyone else help. Unfortunately that feeling rubs off on missionaries too.  There might be one piece of cake left and you want to eat it but you feel too greangjai to ask for it. In our look for families we are forbidding our missionaries to feel graengjai about asking for other family members to sit in on the lesson.  But rather we are setting the expectation that the family should be together. If we come and they aren't together then we may ask to come back again later when they are.

One of the sad facts about the work here in Thailand is that there is a very bad percentage rate of people who stay active in the church. A family is a support system. Finding families is another way that we are going to help Thailand to retain those precious souls who join the church.

 

I have noticed that it is difficult for many of the Thai people to fully understand the restoration.  Most people aren't prone to considering abstract ideas such as faith. They haven't been raised with a background of Christianity. When we ask them what they think the purpose of life is or what they think will happen after death the average person says that they have never thought about it, or they thought about it a little, couldn't figure it out and then abandoned the effort to try.  But also, many of the Thai people are extra interested in the Plan of Salvation.  I think that that simple background of who they are, why they are here, and where they are going helps to prepare their minds for understanding other Gospel truths.

 

There is a funny little saying that every missionary who has come to Thailand knows and probably dreads which is that "every religion teaches us to be good."  I have explained this saying before, and I have thought of several different methods of moving the conversation forward after they use this as an excuse to be satisfied with what they've got. But ultimately when we come and talk to people on the street we are not trying to prove our point but we are working to prove our love. When we come with love in our hearts and a smile on our face then we already have the advantage of having something that they want even if they still don't understand that we teach truths of salvation rather than simple good teachings that help us be a good person. I hope that as we live our lives that we will be good examples that others can see.

 

I have explained that we are looking especially for families. Well, yesterday we were on our way to go teach a family that from a numbers perspective would look very good to get a family full of new investigators.  Not that we ought to be motivated by numbers but you can see how there is a strong temptation to go over and teach them all. But as I prayed to ask for the Lord's permission to go and teach this family, against all logic I felt like we shouldn't teach them. But we had already set an appointment to meet them, and their phone was off as there was a storm coming in. So I talked to my little companion friend to ask about his impressions on the matter. But he said that he felt okay about going to teach this family. Therefore with the time short as it is, and a storm coming, rather than go and teach them we went to go talk with them and perhaps set up another appointment but at least we would go to the appointment according to our word. SO we prayed together and it felt right. So we went.  Soon I realized the reason for feeling as I did. It turns out that the father of the family and the mother had just got out of an argument together and they weren't on good terms at the time.  The patriarch of the family was not ready to hear the word and lead the family.  Because of this understanding and the impressions that I had felt before we left I was much more aware of the situation. Our visit there was short and we set up another appointment asking for the mother to invite the father in on the appointment.  From this little experience I learned a lot of principals.  I was confused about those first impressions. And I had even prayed and asked again if we should/could go. I realize that my question should have changed to asking for understanding.

 

 

I know that the Lord is leading His work perfectly and with His perfect timing. I know that he is protecting and leading His missionaries. I thank you all for your prayers for me. They bring me strength beyond my own, and protection from our loving Heavenly Father.

 

I love you all,

 

Elder Lilly

Dear Family,

Thanks to everyone for the Birthday love.  And a special happy Birthday goes out to David as well.  I have good news that I wasn't expecting. As my old companion Joped (went home) two weeks early, the assistants set up a mini-mission for one of the 19-year-olds in our Branch. His nickname is Jay but now he is Elder Typagone, my new two week companion. What a great opportunity it is for him to prepare for his mission and get ahead of the game. And what a good opportunity it is for me to work to my hearts extent and help my own area to progress onward.  I feel full of energy and desire to get the work going here.

 

Also, Elder Volk was released as a Branch President yesterday. Now there are only 2 Missionary Branch Presidents in the whole mission. That is a big land mark as to the progression of Thailand. In two moves just as I return home the mission will be welcoming 14 new Thai missionaries. And if my current companion gets his papers in soon then there is a possibility that he could join in the ranks of that group as well.  Because of the reduction in missionaries there are only 50 companionships in Thailand right now. With all the new Thai missionaries comming in that means that almost every companionship could have a Thai companion.

 

Tonight we will travel over to Bangkok for another zone leader council meeting.  Elder Young, who is the current Assistant to the President, and I had a good time switching off in Sisaket. He and I will be the only two people from our group who aren't Joping early. He and Elder Bryant have prepared a Zone Leader Council meeting about teaching families.

 

I am still doing great. I feel good. I'm excited about my new companion. I really enjoyed training Elder Tom. It will be fun to train Elder Typagone too.  On my birthday we took part in a very successful Fireside... although firesides aren't all that great for missionary work, but this one really got the members thinking about their lives and truly helped them to obtain an Eternal Perspective.  Some of the evidence of the results of the fireside were manifest as the members bore their sincere testimony during sacrament meeting.  The members supprised me with a birthday cake during our correlation meeting, which we promptly consumed. Now that today is preperation day i'll be sure to eat something sweet.  Some of the missionaries in my zone informed me that they celebrated my birthday by going to an icecream parlor for lunch.  I told them thanks. :p

 

It feels good to work hard and get the blessings of that hard work. There's not much else that feels so satisfying. Keep working hard at home. That'd be a good birthday gift. And eat something sweet. You know I would.

 

With 76 tons of Love,

 

Elder Lilly

pizza

Dear Family,

 

Hello Hello Hello. Well, this Saturday is indeed my birthday. I was reminded that my birthday was comming up during Zone Conference when they were announcing birthdays and... Woah hey that's my name their announcing.  Oh yeah, my birthday is coming up soon.  Now I'm making it a big deal in the whole zone so that we can celebrate seperatly together. In the same day we have set up a fireside at the church about the Atonement. I'm way excited for the fireside. We are asking everyone to come to the church in their sunday dress. I feel like the planning was done under the influence of the Spirit. Therefore am I confident about the success of the activity. Our purpose is to increase their Faith in Jesus Christ and His atonement.

 

This week was full of chaos in the Thai Government. The battle between the Red shirts and Yellow shirts has slowly started affecting us more and more. For the last couple of days we've been stuck in a country wide curfew. At first the curfew was at 8:00 but now it's at 9:00. The Red shirts have gone around burning the towncenters in each of the provinces. They havn't been able to burn the Town Center in Sisaket. The police have the place very well locked down with barbed wire and policemen everywhere.  We aren't affected too bad by it though. It's safe for us so long as we avoid that little section of the town. It seems to be an ongoing ordeal off and on off and on. It will be interesting to see how it progresses further.  These are the signs of our times.

 

Yesterday we went to another Buddhist funeral.  A huge storm broke out and it started flooding in the area that we were in. Then we had a blackout. I thought it made sort of a cool grim effect on the funeral. The rain was pretty loud though. We all escaped from the rain and lit candles inside the house. I was fortunate enough to be able to sit down next to several of the priesthood holders in the Church and talk to them about various things. One of the interesting concerns that they brought up was about how we can show love for those people that we visit, more esspecially those who we don't know very well or those who havn't come to church in a long time. "Clearly we don't need to tell them that they are missing church. They already know that. But what can we do to help them come back? When we invite them they don't listen" they asked me.  The answer I gave them stemmed back from something that I had read in general conference which I think I shared with you guys last week. The best way that we can help people to repent is to increase their faith in the Gospel.  Our faith increases when the spirit confirms the truths to our hearts. The members had been inviting people to come back to church but they hadn't been teaching those people to increase their faith in Jesus Christ and His Gospel. So nothing changed. I am glad to have an increased understanding of the importance of the gospel in teaching.

 

I love you all and thank you for your prayers,

 

Love Elder lilly

from Jennifer

Dear Family,

 

Today was a fun day. We played basketball, soccer, and ping pong at the church in Ubon. I really enjoyed playing basketball. It's been quite some time since I've played. Tomorrow is zone conference. We will speak about setting Visions, making goals, and planning.  I'm excited to have another opportunity to invite the Spirit and rely on the Lord for help in inspiring our zone. 

 

So, my companion has been having some personal health issues which has been an obstacle for us in our work together.  He will return home from his mission on the 28th of this month. That means that I will be in another three man team, and get two new companions. Right now I'm balancing helping my companion, working in my area, and helping out the zone.  It's been quite the learning experience.  There are so many valuable experiences to be gained from serving a mission.  One of the youth in our branch who had been deciding if he were to go on a mission or not had received a confirmation from the spirit and bore his testimony about how he knows that a mission is the best university that he could enter.  I agree.  It's so good.

 

Last Sunday Ahm passed his interview. He's moving to Prea before next Sunday. He'll have to get baptized in Lampang. I don't have any worries about him. I feel like he is the most firm investigator in the faith and truth of the Gospel that I have ever taught before. To me he gets it. There is so much power in the simplicity and truth of the Gospel.  It's what we need to accomplish in life. Some of the teachers at church don't quite understand the Gospel and their role as teachers in inviting the people that they teach to improve their lives. Some people still simply teach the lesson material without any goal or conscious effort to explain the Gospel truths and invite the people to change, which without that the lesson is lacking in focus and power. But with a commitment in mind which will help the learner repent and come unto Christ then the lesson becomes focused and it gains personal relevance and meaning.  

 

The scar from the 2  by 4 is pretty much all healed up.

 

As far as the Trek is concerned... I remember a powerful closing talk from President Thornock. I remember feeling the spirit extra strong as I served and studied in a peaceful and serene place. I remember walking for hours and eating soggy delicious rolls. I remember a lot. Overall it was definitely a worthwhile experience, especially if you go in with the attitude to serve and learn.

 

I love you guys sooo much. It was way good to talk to you on the Phone. Sorry I had to cut it short... I had a lot of things that I needed to accomplish.

 

Love,

-Elder Lilly

Testimony

Dear Family,

 

Wow, Jeremy is home already. That's great! I'm sure he'll mention how fast the time has gone by. That's a great mothers day present. 

 

Thanks for the stories about our ancestors. I had someone ask me about my Ancestors yesterday. I told her that my parents were about to send that to me.

 

So another moves has passed by. There are now 7 Thai missionaries in my zone. Elder Pituporn stayed here in Srisaket and he is on his last moves. That means that I am more than likely to stay here in Srisaket for the next moves period--but you never know. Elder Milton moved to the office and we welcomed Elder Hood into our District.

 

Last Saturday Ahm interviewed for Baptism. He is way ready to get Baptized but he will need to interview with one of the President's counselors first.  He shared his personal Testimony with us as we prepared him for the interview. It's such an awesome experience to see him get a Testimony and then progress so fast. It's a feeling that's hard to describe but it's a good feeling. And I get excited considering how when we remain faithful until the end we will see each other again with glorified and perfected bodies in the realms of God's kingdom.

 

We met a strange man a few days ago at the church. He wanted us to teach him but when we sat down he seemed to want to teach us his doctrine more than listen to us. When he spoke he would go on in speaking things that made no sense and wouldn't ever directly answer our questions. So we asked the Branch President to speak with him. Afterwards he seemed a bit angry but he left the church and we havn't seen him since. Meeting him was a stark contrast to hearing the open, joyful, and personal testimony of Ahm and also the members testimonies that we heard on Monday.

 

Elder Pituporn and I are doing well. I always enjoy setting up the vision for our area/zone. As part of being a Zone Leader we get the opportunity to teach one of the District Meeting lessons in each of the districs that are in our zone. President Smith would like the zone leaders to do whatever it takes to help the zone to progress. Some of our options are switching off for 1 day or 3 days or a week or whatever we need to do. I like having a lot of options. I've seen how one person can have a tremendous impact on those who are around him.

 

I suppose I should mention that last week we took part in a service project where we helped destroy the remains of one of the members houses that burned down. It was good fun. Unfortunetely we didn't have much for tools. Rather we used 2 by 4's to take down the burned remains. As I was weilding a 2 by 4 I hit a cealing board above my target which caused the board to reverberate and it hit me in the face. Ouch. I recall Michael once got hit by a 2 by 4. But, no worries. It was a small scratch. And it's basically all healed up by now. In the end we cleared the house and did a great service to the family in the Branch. Their Neighbors were wondering why they hired foreigners to help take down the remains of the house. :) They were able to explain that we were missionares.

 

I love you guys and I'll talk to you on Monday.

 

 

Love,

 

Elder Lilly

everyone says we love Cameron!

Dear Family,

 

The baptism was excellent. I was very impressed and satisfied with what a great sacrament meeting, Sunday School class, and Baptism that we had yesterday. Elder Milton and I both gave a short talk during the baptism and afterwards Nang bore a personal and meaningful testimony. She has seen some miracles in her process of learning the Gospel. Part of her testimony included an experience where she had asked the Priesthood Holders to give her a priesthood blessing of healing. Within three days of the blessing the stone that was in her body had vanished away and she was healed.

 

I feel like our district is catching the spirit of unity.  Elder Elwood helped to teach the investigator class this week. I remember having the feeling of cheer as I was desirous that he would teach with power and with the Spirit. I took part in the lesson and bore my testimony about the restoration of the Gospel. I remember having a similar feeling when Elder Milton came up to talk during sacrament meeting. It feels good to set aside all personal desires and unite to a righteous cause.  In that way we help each other grow. And we help the Branch grow.

 

I suppose we are like sponges. We constantly absorb in the influence of our surroundings. We also have our own influence. That's sort of the miracle of families and relationships that they can have such a positive influence on each other and lead each other upwards to better things.  The more we give the more we have to give.

 

Being a Zone leader involves a lot of travel.  Last Tuesday night Elder Staples and I traveled to Bangkok by train to renew our visas. Then we went straight to Surin to interview investigators.  Finally we came back to Srisaked for a night only to meet back in Ubon for more interviews and to switch back with Elder Pituporn and return to Srisaket the next morning. But, before Elder Staples and I went to Ubon we came to a large Neighborhood to invite people to come study the Gospel with us. We got some phone numbers and set up a few appointments. Yesterday Elder Pituporn and I went to teach one of the investigators that we had invited in that neighborhood. It turns out that that investigator invited most of the Neighborhood to come and learn with us too. So we ended up teaching a lesson to about six or seven people who came to learn with us. We'll go back to visit them again next tuesday. :)

 

That sunday we had seven baptisms in our Zone.

 

So that was one of our little adventures this week. On Sunday we had another Branch Council meeting. Perhaps some people feel like we have too many meetings in the church but it seems to me that the reason for all of the meetings is similar to the reason for the law of Moses. Many people come to a meeting just to fulfil the requirements of the Law. Then they miss out on the spiritual purpose of the law. If we understood and obeyed the spirit of the Law then the meetings would be short, productive, and uplifting experiences. Therefore, don't ever get descouraged about church meetings. But remember our purpose as a member of the Church and as sons and daughters of God.

 

 

Thanks for the great letters. I'm looking forward to hearing from Michael about his experiences. I really do love each of you and hope the best for you.

I would like to ask for a record of how our family ancestors were first introduced to the Gospel. It would be useful to share for some of the future first generation members that we are teaching.

 

Also if anyone were wondering what a good gift would be for my birthday... I don't know. Something tasty from home is always good. Aaron's and Nana's present was pretty sweet. I liked the pajamas... so soft.

 

Love ya,

 

-Elder Lilly

Package has arrived!

Dear Family,

 

Yaaay I'm so glad that y'all got the package I sent. The Pakamas are way sabaay (comfortable).

 

My investigators are doing great. Nang just passed her baptismal interview last saturday. She's ready to get baptised this sunday. I think that the baptism can help to really pick the work up  here in Srisaket as well because to put it simply... the power of godliness is manifest in the ordinances of the church.  Most people who see a baptism end up getting baptised themselves. :) We will do our best to make it a spiritual baptism.

 

Today has been excellent. We spent almost all morning cleaning the house. It feels excellent to have a clean house. I'm not sure when the last time was that the house in Srisaket was cleaned, sadly enough. I have been looking for the oportunity to deep clean it since I got here. The house is a little weird. It was designed with metal bars on a sliding door all around the house--over every window, door, and opening. Then the outside has a black metal fence and a black metal sliding gate. Indeed, it looks much like a prison. So we opened all of the drapes, cleaned up, opened the sliding doors and let the sun shine into the room. It's refreshing. 

 

Well, I feel like this moves is a time where we need to start focusing on faith again. Naturally without obedience there is no faith. In showing faith we need to pray more, work harder, and give more of ourselves.

 

Work is also part of faith. And work itself seems to have a way of fixing all of the problems. If we know how to work and we do it then we can accomplish almost anything.

 

It seems like the times where we don't really feel prepared to go out and invite are the times when the least people are outside. Then those times where we are prepared and happy and we talk to everybody are the times when people start popping up out of nowhere and there are more people who are outside of there houses, even when it is super super hot--which is often. That I believe is another witness to God's influence in our work.

 

The zone here is progressing. But It's just not yet to it's full potential. One companionship often gets the majority of the results for the week. That shows how much better the whole zone could be doing. But the Lord is blessing us greatly. And as we exercise faith and work work work the Lord will lead us to the things that we need personally and in our areas.

 

I enjoy some of the little things that are "so Thai." Learning a culture completely changes your perspective on how things really are. For instance if you first came into the country without a knowledge of the culture and someone was rejecting you by making excuses or running away or by avoiding you, you might get offended. But if you understand that part of there culture is to avoid rejecting you directly because they are trying to be polite and not hurt your image than you wouldn't get offended because you would understand.

 

I thankyou for your love and letters.

 

I love you and pray for you,

 

--Elder Lilly