Hey Dad!
50 already? Wow! I hope you had a great birthday as well! "1 year older and wiser too..." right?
So this last week has been an absolute blur. But I did get a brand-new missionary! His name is Elder Smith, and he's from West Point, Utah. He's pretty nice, and he has a good attitude. A little quiet, but seems to look like he's ready to work hard! But we managed to see a lot of people to teach them last week! We also got one new investigator before transfers happened, but we'll need to see about if when we could meet her, since she said that she wasn't free on the day we appointed. So we're working on that. But we did have opportunities last week to go out and find new investigators! We found about 5 new people to teach, 2 of them should have been new investigators about 3 weeks ago, but we hadn't had an opportunity to sit down with them and teach (these two are about 12 and 9 years old). They come to church regularly though! So we're trying to help out our investigators build more faith, and really teach to their needs!
So Elder V and I took a night bus down all the way to Bangkok, get there, and then I have a trainer's meeting where they instruct us on how/what we should be doing as missionaries. Then we have the trainee's meeting where we go over a couple things, together, about what we should be doing as a companionship, what our expectations are, and then meeting our new greenies! So it was pretty exciting.
While we were in Bangkok, we had an opportunity to go visit one of my old areas while we were waiting for our bus (we were scheduled to leave at 10:00 in the night)! So I went and visited Brother จี้(Jii), Sister แกะ(Ga [a - as in apple]), Sister Alisa, Sister Rin, and Sister เบรี้ยว (Briao). It was fun to see all of them again, and then just see how my old area in Rewadee is doing. They're all doing great, and we ate pizza together before we left. Brother Jii helped us by taking us to the Office and then to the Bus Station. He is honestly so nice, and Sister แกะ brought us food as well! They're all way fun to talk too, and one of people I visited has her papers in to be a missionary soon! All she needs to do it get interviewed, and then it will be all good!
Then we took the night bus back up, so there wasn't really any good sleep for us there and back (at least for me) so I'm pretty tired and trying to recover... But we got to go out and teach a lot of people on Saturday, and then on Sunday, my tire went flat on the way to church (really close to the church!) so we couldn't go anywhere after that, so the members drove us to where we needed to get to... so awesome!
I feel as though one of the bigger struggles for me as far as the work goes (for this transfer at least) is to apply all the things I have learned from studies and from the scriptures. I feel like I know, conceptually, how to be a good missionary and how to help other people on the path to conversion, but I'm not exactly sure how to apply in the most true sense. I feel like I can see the target, but I'm not quite sure where the bulls-eye is. So I know what I'm aiming at, and how to draw my bow, but I'm not quite sure how far or where the area I'm specifically aiming for actually is. In other words: the target looks a little blurry. When there are two companions who have experience together, they can bounce ideas off of each other, and try to figure out how to best help our investigators. But it is admittedly a little harder to bounce ideas off of someone who has some ideas, but hasn't yet experienced teaching real investigators in Thailand... so I'm just going for it, and trusting in Heavenly Father! He definitely knows how to be successful in the work, that I don't doubt at all.
Another struggle that I feel like I might have is sharing the work... I readily recognize the fact that we both are able to receive revelation for our investigators, but sometimes I feel as though I might want to take most of the burden in planning, and in teaching and communicating, just based on how I was in school with group projects at times... So I'll need to learn to trust in my companion as well, and also give him opportunities to teach and help our investigators more as well!
As far as differences go: We get an extra half hour of companionship study time, and language study time as well. So I'm trying to do better about having us do roleplays, and helping him to slowly figure out how to teach with me in Thailand (and in the language as well.) Generally, I study the language on my own, but I might need to change that and help out my companion as well. It's a bit worrisome at times, but I know that as we pray for the gift of tongues, we'll see success in our language abilities as well! After all, if we read the account of the Apostles in the Book of Acts, we can see that as soon as the Apostles received the Holy Ghost in its fullness, they were able to speak in diverse tongues, so.. we know the Lord can help us speak fluently right away if it was his will, and according to our faith, but we also need to have this experience as well, so it's all the Lord's plan!
But honestly, I'm happy right now. I'm learning, I'm seeing my faults and weaknesses, and improving. It might be stressful at times, but I know that as I rely on the Lord, I'm slowly becoming who the Lord wants me to be. I'm trying to be exactly obedient, and trying to love and help the people the best I can, even with all of my heart, might, mind, and strength. The Lord won't let us fail, neither I, nor my companion, as we trust in him.
Something I learned this past week in studies was just looking at the account of Ammon and in his teaching to King Lamoni. One thing was very clear to me as I carefully read the account in Alma 18: Ammon clearly demonstrated that he was a servant and messenger sent from a very real Heavenly Father through his discernment and his strength. His way of teaching helped King Lamoni to understand who God is, and then King Lamoni recognized Ammon as a servant of God. Ammon then used scriptures, which are the word of God and full of His Spirit, to explain and expound upon the plan of redemption and salvation, starting from the beginning until the time that Ammon was teaching King Lamoni. Ammon clearly demonstrated who he was representing, which was Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, sent by the Holy Ghost who gave Ammon power and confirmed Ammon's witness, which caused King Lamoni to believe and thus be converted. I know that as we are true and faithful servants of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, having no fear in being such a servant for all to see, then the people that we see will recognize that we are righteous disciples of a very real Heavenly Father and a living Jesus Christ. So we, as missionaries, need to be bold, loving, and be obedient unto God and his laws! Then will that power shine forth from us. We will know exactly what we need to do and say.
I love the work, I love progress, and I love Thailand! I love all of these people, and I hope that I will be good enough in my service to the Lord. All these areas, all these people, members or not, deserve the best missionaries that they can get, who are consecrated and true servants of the Lord. That's my goal, and I'll serve with all of my heart, might, mind, and strength to do it!
Love you lots Dad! Talk to you soon!
- Elder Collin Decker
No comments:
Post a Comment