Sunday, March 25, 2018

3-18-18 Ayutthaya Thailand














Hey hey!



Not much to report on this last week! I sent out! My pictures and such already, so you should be good to check that out! Including pictures of the ties that I got cut. Purple is a good color, especially for Washington... 😁



This last week was a good week. We saw some miracles for sure! We thought we were going to have a lot of people at church but... We only had one investigator 😅 So that was fun! But we met with a lot of people, invited a lot of people.



We had a switch off with the Zone Leaders again. It was OK. But I don't really like inviting in malls so much, though we had to try to use our time effectively. It just seems like an honor thing to me. We're here, representing the Lord Jesus Christ. We are under obligation, duty, and privilege, to lift up our voices in every place, but we are also under obligation to follow the laws of the Land. It's not illegal to proselyte in malls, but they don't allow you to do it per company policy, at the very least don't hand out inviting cards. But as soon as we, of our own free will, step into/onto the mall, we are honor bound to keep the rules there, for we accept as we walk on. I reason that don't go out and proselyte in Laos because it's not allowed there. We don't have Proselyting Missionaries there! We don't go out, thinking that we are bold, courageous missionaries and ignore the rules by preaching the Gospel. It's tough, but it is life, and it is something we teach that we are to follow the laws of the Land in which we are currently in. So, needless to say, I don't like proselyting in malls, just as a matter of following the rules and being honorable, respectable missionaries.



This quote relates a little bit to what I am feeling here. This was given in a talk called "The Divine Standard of Honesty" found in the August 2017 issue of the Liahona and it says:



“My young friends, I have been asked what I mean by word of honor. I will tell you. Place me behind prison walls—walls of stone ever so high, ever so thick, reaching ever so far into the ground—there is a possibility that in some way or another I may be able to escape. But stand me on that floor and draw a chalk line around me and have me give my word of honor never to cross it. Can I get out of that circle? No, never! I’d die first!”



I would commend all of us to do the same. To be honest. Jesus never needed to lie to do those things. The Spirit does not deal in half-truths or lies. The Spirit is the Spirit of truth after all. But as always, this is up to us. I know what white-lies are, and I cannot definitely say that they are wrong or if they are right. But as for what Elder Andersen says, he goes on to say this:



"The world would tell us that truth and honesty are difficult to define. The world finds humor in casual lying and quickly excuses so-called “innocent” deception. The contrast between right and wrong is dulled, and the consequences of dishonesty are minimized.

   To constantly receive the Spirit of Truth—the Holy Ghost—we must fill our lives with truth and honesty. As we become completely honest, our spiritual eyes are opened to increased enlightenment."



Honesty is a virtue and important. We need to keep our word, our commitments when we give them. If we should break our word, we lose our integrity and our honor. Even if no one else knows, we know that a couple do know of our omissions and dishonesty, The Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. 



Let us be honest! It might be hard, but true joy only comes through the companionship of the Holy Ghost. It will guide as we seek to come unto Christ and be perfected in him.



All right, love you lots! I'll talk to you soon.



- Elder Collin Decker 

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