This week was waaaaay sick. It went by just as fast as the last like 20 weeks haha but it was a blast.
Last Tuesday we went home after getting to send off a quick email and got to teach English at our house again. This week was way worse than last week we had to people show up ahahha but we gave them a good commitment to go tell all their friends and stuff so hopefully the word will get out more.
This week we got to go to Bangnaa, Srinakarin, and Minburi to do training on the new stuff going on in the mission, mostly focused on the new Christmas initiative. If you haven't seen the 2 new videos for Christmas that the Church dropped yet this year, go check them out. They are way dope. During the second video it talks about what life would be like with out a Savior. I took it for granted how easy it is during the Christmas season at home to feel the Christmas Spirit and know why we have Christmas, but there is probably a lot more people out here in Thailand that know who Santa is but don't even know who their Savior is, and how He is important in their lives. It was eye opening to me to realize that we could be the only thing standing in between someone and finding their Savior.
We had a switch off in my old area, Srinakarin. It was way fun. I was with one of my old District Leaders, Elder Larsen. He goes home in 2 weeks but you would never know. He is such a great example of a consecrated missionary! I'm way thankful for my older examples in the mission to look up to and follow. I hope to be someone that other missionaries will be able to look up to. We taught the family of brother Boss. He was someone we baptized when I served in Srinakarin, and he hits his year mark as a member in a couple weeks. Its crazy how fast time flies! I'm way happy to know his whole family still goes to church.
We taught our investigator brother Pone. It went way well, he is progressing way good. I don't remember if I talked about him last week but he's a stud. We went out contacting for a couple hours one day and didn't have much success, then on the truck ride home I talked to this guy and he was way interested. I felt like a bum for having a bad attitude about street contacting that day and feeling like I wasn't making a difference, but since me and Elder Johnson did go out and do our part and our responsibility, brother Pone was placed in our path just minutes before we walked through the door to our home! He invited 3 of his friends to our lesson to come learn because he says he already has a testimony of reading and praying and wanted his friends to experience it too but they weren't too interested. He has a baptismal date for the 20th, 3 days after I'm gonna move out of this area hahaha.
Last Saturday was fathers day in Thailand... Way hard to make an appointment with anyone and it rained a kiiiillller amount. Shoutout to my dad for marrying a Thai woman lolz.
That girl that got baptized a couple weeks ago, sister Aim. Is one of the most incredible people I've ever met. Dead serious. She blows me away with her wisdom and maturity and just everything! Yesterday we met her at the park by our house to talk to her and teach her and she just vented everything to us. She doesn't have a very good home situation and hasn't seen her parents or been home for as long as I have been on a mission. She was going on and on and on about how she had to grow up fast and how she feels like she is her older brothers mom, but then she stopped and said, "But if God gave me a choice on how I would want my life to be, I would pick this life over and over and over again. Cause these things happen for a reason, and they are making me a better person." I really loved that. I was impressed by her hope. It's something that I have come to realize Buddhism doesn't teach. Hope that everything is for our benefit in the end. Just because you aren't where you want to be or where you are comfortable, doesn't mean you aren't where you are suppose to be. Everything we experience is for our benefit, nothing ever goes to waste. That's something I have learned and cherish from my Savior Jesus Christ.
This Christmas is sadly probably the first Christmas where I have truly felt and understood why we need a Savior, and everything he has done to me. I'm blessed for this time I've been given of the Lord to help my brothers and sisters in Thailand see what He can do for him. I can be happy in any situation I am put in in life, and have hope that its for my benefit. That's why I need a Savior. I hope all of us can take up the challenge in the new Christmas initiative of, "Discover Why." and discover for yourself personally why you need a Savior. I LOVE CHRISTMAS!!! I'm just really happy with my life... haha sorry I'm going off right now.. I love you guys so much!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY BIG SIS JESS THIS WEEK!!! I love you so much dude!!!
here's some pics. talk to you next week! Elder Luker
1. This is from the top of Pones roof. Way pretty view and cool setting for a great lesson
2. (purposefully) the most awkward picture of me ever and some ตัวเหี้ยs.
3. Chillin at the park. That's Aim
4. a bad pic of the new years decorations in our town.
5-7. Our Travis Henderson inspired dinner last night. Two pizzas made into a sandwich with mac n cheese in the middle. way good hahaha and way fun
8. dem ladkrabang boyz in our new mission t shirts.
