Lots
and Lots of Pig... (Transfer 7: Nong Khai Week 4)
Hey
there Dad!
So
this last week has been pretty good!
Last
week, on P-Day, we went to go see a market! Usually at markets you can buy
fabric to make ties and stuff out of, and there was definitely some cool fabric
there but... I didn't buy any. One day I might, but for right now, I think I'll
hold off... Then we had dinner with our branch mission leader, so that was fun!
I had spaghetti, but unfortunately it was a pretty small plate... I was very
sad, but it tasted pretty good!
Tuesday,
we went to District Meeting in Udorn, as normal! We take a van over there every
Tuesday and it usually take about 1 hour to get there and 1 hour to get back.
We also ate lunch with President Tiger, so that was nice! We ate at Burger
King... Burger King! I didn't even know Burger King existed here, but
apparently it does. I had a double cheese burger, and it was pretty good! I
didn't realize that I missed beef, but I do, and it was good. It was a tad
expensive though... but that's ok! We taught English later on that day after
studies, and actually had a dad and his two kids come! They said they would be
coming next week (which is this week now) so that's pretty cool! I hope we can
get this going better now! I know English is a great way to find people who are
potential investigators, but it is also just a great opportunity to serve the
people as well!
On
a sidenote. Some people get really confused when I first start a conversation
with them. A lot of people seem to think I was born here... which isn't true! I
then go on to explain about my Mom being from Thailand and then saying I didn't
grow up speaking Thai... and then they ask why I came here, and so then I can
explain what I am doing here as a missionary. It's a lot of fun, and it's
really easy for me to talk about being a missionary from there!
Wednesday
was just straight proselyting/inviting. Lots of fun, just going around
neighborhoods, visiting some RCs as well!
Thursday,
we had some long weekly planning, and it was LONG for sure! Planning is very
important for missionaries so it was good to try and cover all the steps!
Friday
we had sports night at the park! Got a nice picture of a rainbow there! A
couple people came, but for the most part we were waiting around for them,
partially because the members were scared of the rain... so I ended up talking
to a lot of people, inviting them, and also talking to a police officer! He was
nice, and I invited him to go to our English class. We also got to see a New
Investigator from last week, Brother Fuu, who had learned with the missionaries
before! He has a great understanding of the story of Jesus, and he even said
that "This book [the Book of Mormon] is an answer to my prayers and I've
been looking for something like this for a long time." So that was pretty
sweet! We'll be meeting with him more and more often for sure!
Saturday was good! Again, lots of proselyting/inviting. We got to see one of our New Investigators, Brother Gampaeng (Brother Wall). He is just all around nice, so I enjoy talking to him! He was already Christian before, so it fairly easy to explain lots of concepts to him, not super deep, but pretty solid! We also got to teach a Book of Mormon class as well as the Missionary Preparation class, so that was a lot of fun!
Sunday
was fast Sunday here, as they show conference one week later than America, for
translation purposes. I got to see one of the old APs who finished his mission
about two transfers ago! He was one of the people who picked me up from the
airport, so that was really nice! We also ate a ton of pork at a member's house
for a member get-together kind of thing on Sunday night! It was fun, but I
think I got bit by mosquitoes at least 5 times... so it's kind of ichy.
And
of course, I can't forget about this morning at 2 AM when the sky decided to
dump buckets of water on everything in Nong Khai and then shoot lightning out
every 2 seconds so a constant rumble of thunder was present... It was pretty
fun! I could only see the flashes, but I heard all of it! I tried to go back to
sleep, but it was actually pretty loud... But yeah!
As
I come closer to the beginning of next transfer, I realize that I am almost at
my 1 year mark. One year! The time has flown by way quick. I hope things just
keep getting better and better from here! I remember when I could barely
understand any Thai, but now I feel like I'm understanding pretty well, and
speaking reasonably well as well! I'm glad that I have the opportunity to serve
in this mission! The members here are awesome, and I'm glad that I'm serving in
Nong Khai as well! I'm glad I've served in all of my areas! I know the Lord is
always blessing us, and will always help us, and as long as we are faithful,
obedient, and have the right DESIRE. As we desire to serve God, to love God,
and let that desire motivate us, then will we see the Hand of the Lord in our
lives!
I
love the mission and I am honored to wear this name badge everyday! I'm glad to
be a representative of the Lord here in Thailand!
Love
you lots Dad! Talk to you soon!
-
Elder Collin Decker
No comments:
Post a Comment