Hey hey there Dad!
Hope everything isn't too busy at home! Or stressful at
least. Being busy helps time pass by faster. Sitting on our hands doesn't help
time move very fast at all. Only when we're engaged in good work does the time
seem to pick up it's pace.
So this last week was Zone Conference! I was super happy to
be able to hear from the the Zone Leaders, the Assistants to the President, and
President Johnson. I can feel the desire they have to be better missionaries,
and for us to be caught up in their wave as well. It's a great feeling to know
that there is more than just the two of us all the way out here in Nong Khai,
but an entire mission working hard as well! On a sidenote: The Assistants to
the President are actually one of my old Zone Leader and my trainer/breaker/follow-up
trainer! Elder Hunt, and Elder Bastian (respectively) so it was great to see
them both again! I feel like I actually know the character of the Assistants
this time around (not that it's really important to know, but its fun for me)
so I'm glad!
In Zone Conference, we learned about how the Book of Mormon
is the sickle as said in D&C 4, and it will help us bring those people who
are prepared to receive the restored Gospel. President was the one who was
presenting this training and he proceeded to tell the story about the person
who translated the Book of Mormon from English to Thai. In the beginning, the
people called to serve here were actually transferred from two places: Hong
Kong, and Taiwan. 6 Missionaries total, and they were expected to try to learn
Thai, having studied Chinese before, and then go preach the Gospel with no
materials whatsoever. So, one companionship goes contacting, door knocking
even, to go find those people. They meet one lady, who was probably relatively
well-off because: 1. She had servants (who she paid of course) and 2. She spoke
really good English, much to the joy of the Elders who had found her. They left
an English Book of Mormon with her, which she read, and read, and read, and was
thus converted through the power of the Book of Mormon. It was a great story to
hear, and a great testament to the power of the Book of Mormon. So, we're now
all committed to using the Book of Mormon better in our work. All the training
we received was great, including one about planning and choosing our attitude,
but most of all using the Book of Mormon stuck out to me.
Zone Conference was also a great time for us to watch
"The Testaments" together in the Lao Elder's room, about 14 people,
in their hotel room (we were also in a hotel) which was fun. The other fun part
was the fact that we got to ride back to Nong Khai with a bunch of missionaries
because the Lao Elders have to pass through Nong Khai to get to Lao(s?) and it
was all fun.
Oh, and after Zone
Conference, I got to see some of the awesome members from Sakon Nakorn just for
a little bit, such as Sister Tun, Sister First and President Jack! It was fun
to actually talk to them and understand what they were saying... I'm glad they
still remember me! Though it doesn't feel that long... it's been a little while
since I've been there! It was a ton of fun seeing them!
These last couple of days, we've just been going super hard
on inviting, and trying our best to find the people the the Lord has prepared.
And we got buckets (or in other words, saw miracles)! Over the last two days we
found 2 new investigators, one who is already Christian (which is a blessing
here in Thailand to be sure) and another who learned with the missionaries 5
years ago! It's been so great to see/find these people. We actually saw a lot
of people yesterday as well, so we have a lot of people to meet this next
coming weekend!
I know, without a shadow of a doubt, that God loves us, and
that He has restored this Gospel to the Earth. The Gospel and Church is true,
and the Spirit will guide us if we allow Him to. We will see miracles based
upon our faithfulness, our willing obedience, and our desire to work. I love
this work, I love Thailand, and I love our Savior, and our Heavenly Father.
Love you lots! Talk to you soon!
--
- Elder Collin Decker
Thailand, Bangkok Mission
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