Well. It's time again.

I'm not as young as I think I am in this whole being a missionary thing.... Especially when your new companion graduated in 2016

​His name is Elder Decker and he is from Las Vegas, Nevada. Age 18...I think. Yeah. He makes me feel old. I heard there was some video up on facebook - https://www.facebook.com/mormonthai/videos/1267625353269744/

Yeah.

Also Rangsit has been increased to a total of 6 elders working in one ward cause yeah. So the total count goes like this. I'm the oldest, then I have someone who is one month younger, then you add the youngest 4's ages as being a missionary and that equals me. I don't feel this old though....Yeah we've got 2 brand new missionaries and 1 that has only been in country for around 5 weeks. You could say it's a pretty awesome group. #RangsitDreamTeam

This week, well. Wow. We did some stuff. Nothing new to share except for how amazing general conference was this past week....

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2016/10/to-whom-shall-we-go?lang=eng

"My sincere hope is that we will invite an increasing number of God's children to find and stay on the gospel path so they too can partake of the fruit which is desirable above all other fruit. My heartfelt plea is that we will encourage, accept, understand, and love those who are struggling with their faith. We must never neglect any of our brothers and sisters. We are all at different places on the path, and we need to minister to one another accordingly. Just as we should open our arms in a spirit of welcoming new converts, so too should we embrace and support those who have questions and are faltering in their faith."

Absolutely loved this talk. It is so true! Simply just because people have been a faithful member for 10+ years does not mean that they don't have any problems. The real thing is that everyone has problems, everyone needs some support, everyone can use another friend.

Love is the motive. Always. Guilt can be a pretty convincing motivator, but at the end of the day, the one thing that will never fail is charity. So go out. Smile a little more and love a little harder. If you do it out of love and the person can feel your love for them.

I wish I had some cooler pics this week, but like yeah idk. I'll get something next week.

LOVE IT UPPPPPPP!

Aloha,

Elder แอลลิส

Forward Ever. Stopping Never.

Wake me up when September ends

Well that's a wrap. September is officially done. Also a conclusion to one of the most intense transfers I have ever had as a missionary.

So proud of these Elders. Seriously some of the best missionaries. This pic accurately describes us as missionaries. We've got these two new missionaries just slaying the game and going hard. You can add up the amount of time these three have been in Thailand...And I think I'm still older than all of them combined. I'm not as young as I think I am here in Thailand....

Not too sure what to even like say. These past 5? 6 weeks?  Have flown. Literally it barely feels like we have been here a week. The amount of miracles we have seen working here. Unreal. Also so much good food.

Yesterday at church, a less active member that we have been trying to work with showed up. On her own. She recounted a story where 4 special incidences showed to her that it was her time to come back to church. We had met her my first day in Rangsit. We had finished planning and had a bit more time left in the night so we went out to Future Park (This HUGE mall) and invited outside. On the way back we were waiting for the bus to get home and got on the bus. Then Elder Aposhian goes and sits down next to this 'random" lady. Turns out it was the less active that we have been looking for. So we thought that was all cool.

But we didn't know her story. 

She's been waiting for a reason to come back. People calling her simply wasn't enough. That one night, she was tired and just didn't want anything with anybody. As she's commuting home and waiting she see's us and is just thinking in her head "Elders. Don't you dare get on the same bus as me." Then we do. HAHA. Then she goes and thinks "Elders. Don't you dare sit right next to me." Elder Aposhian does. Next "Elder. You better not start talking to me. If you do I am not gonna tell you that I'm a member." He starts talking to her. And then he recognizes her and now she's just tripping out right now. We both get off at the same stop. Keep on talking. It's chill. She goes crosses the bridge, meets another member friend. She goes home then gets a text from a member. And then proceeds to get another call from a different member. On a Thursday evening in July. It's taken a month of constant support and showing her the ward's love for her. But wow.

What else happened this week...It flooded again. 

Took district pics. The other companionship had two baptisms yesterday too. Literally some of the most amazing and hardworking missionaries I have met and worked with.

จงเชื่อในปาฎิหาริย์

Because Mosiah 18 has been my most studied chapter this transfer...

Verses 20-22

"Yea, even he commanded them that they should preach nothing save it were repentance and faith on the Lord, who had redeemed his people. And he commanded them that there should be no contention one with another, but that they should look forward with one eye, having one faith and one baptism, having their hearts knit together in unity and in love one towards another. And thus he commanded them to preach. And thus they became the children of God."

Don't really know what to even say. Preaching repentance, working with Members, Recent Converts, Less Actives, Serving, and Contacting (SCRAMing). We were out here in Rangsit for the past few weeks loving and serving with our whole heart. Fearing no man, but occasionally a sketchy dog. It was so real. So intense. So MUCH LOVE. 

Transfers this week. Someone's leaving. Who knows. Maybe it's me?

Aloha,

Elder แอลลิส

Forward Ever. Stopping Never.

DREAMING WK4 PT2

So there are these way scenic pools all around and I wanted to get a way legit pic so I decided to go down this pathway and just find a way onto a little clearing in the middle of the pond

This is a wasp nest. I was videoing a bit and then got this caught on my vid. I'm using my mouth mount so yeah....That wasp nest was crazy close to my face. Super lucky I didn't hit it that hard....

Because this happened to Tae...

Me and Elder Aposhian only got stung a few times. Actually I only got stung once. On my finger. And Elder Aposhian was like twice. On his ear. But yeah. They weren't poisonous. Just felt a little bit sore. Took a quick break and sat down then hit up the upper pools.

But today. We rest.

Aloha,

Elder แอลลิส

Forward Ever. Stopping Never.

DREAMING WK4 PT1

The reason I forgot to send off the mass email last week....Went out to Kanjanaburi and checked out these sweet waterfall/pools. It's 7 different pools/waterfalls all connected on a 2 km hike. More on this adventure in PT2.

So we as a companionship have been working and grinding pretty hard this whole transfer. Trippy to think that I've already been here for a whole month...ish? Yeah. So intro's on these two people.

We have Sister Joy and Bro. Song.

Joy has been coming to church off and on for a few months. Her work schedule made it a bit difficult but she pulled through and on a miracle is now able to come to church more consistently. She's also from this random city over in another province. Kumpawapi. Which happens to have missionaries and a church building there. If you understand about Kumpawapi and Thailand and Udorn. Like out of all the random cities in the Essan for her to be from. She's from the one place that has a church, which now she is trying to get her family that is still in Kumpawapi to start meeting the missionaries there. These aren't coincidences.

Brother Song is a baller. Literally. He's in some sort of special soccer program at college. He's the neighbor of a less active member that has recently returned back to full activity in the church. Just seeing how much he has changed ever since my first time meeting with him. Epic. He was so quiet and shy. And now he just has the intense desire to serve, he has seen his life change from coming to know God's love and he wants to share it. He also enjoys singing American pop songs.

The way we teach really reflects through our investigators as they become converted. In an effort to continue being better teachers we've been searching for better ways to explain stuff and came across this verse in 1 Nephi 11:1

"For it came to pass after I had desired to know the things that my father had seen, and believing that the Lord was able to make them known unto me, as I sat pondering in mine heart I was caught away in the Spirit of the Lord, yea, into an exceedingly high mountain, which I never had before seen, and upon which I never had before set my foot."

This scripture explains the essence of gaining personal revelation and answers to our prayers. It starts with a desire, that leads to a belief, take a little time to ponder, and then BAM. or bam. But either way it pierces into your heart and that's how you know what the truth is.

(check out pt 2)

Aloha,

Elder แอลลิส

Forward Ever. Stopping Never.

DREAMING WK3

Because monkeys and Baptisms.

and then Baptisms (Real ones) จริงๆ

Quick story about our investigator. Ours is the one closest to Elder Aposhian. She's never come to church before and then was just invited to learn about Christ. At first she was pretty indifferent. Just like "ok. Whatever." But then we invited her to English too. So then still a bit like mehhh. But she had accepted a baptismal date so that was chill. Then I get transferred in and we just started going hard working with every single investigator that has a baptismal date. And then members step in and just start slaying the membership fellowship game. And then shes like got best friends everywhere in this ward! And then she follows through on commitments. Pretty much a direct correlation between those that follow their commitments and those that don't. (Those that do get baptized...those that don't dont...) Yeah. So pretty much the rest is history, she's a baller. Her name is Pat. She was baptized yesterday.

So yeah. This is Rangsit. 

Also forgot to throw this up a few weeks ago, but one of our investigators in my last area got baptized on September 4th, pic will be up on the blog. He's also a baller. He was a self referral that had asked for a Book of Mormon. So we sit down, teach him about the Restoration of the TRUE church and then he takes a baptismal date after us barely saying anything about baptism. Then he progresses and keeps those COMMITMENTS. Changed his life. And now he's an epic 16 year old over in Samut Prakaan.

​Quick thought....

Mosiah 18:6 "And it came to pass that as many as believed him went thither to hear his words." I've been studying a ton in this one chapter for the past few weeks trying to understand more about the covenant of baptism. Just a reassurance that those that believe come and listen to the good word. Pretty short and sweet.

Love you all.

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Well I guess not that much cause I had forgotten to press send last week...........its ok. You get two emails from me this week! Weehaa!

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Aloha,

Elder แอลลิส

Forward Ever. Stopping Never.

DREAMING WK2

Still in this dream world....I haven't been this happy every single day. since like ever. I wake up some mornings dead tired and just straight giggling....Like what is even going on?

​It's a bit hard to explain how many miracles have happened to make this picture work out. Starting off with the three women and then the guy behind them. They've been refugees in Thailand for a long time, but have known about the church for around 3 years. They had gone to church almost every Sunday for 3 years, but because of the language barrier, no one bothered to ask if they were baptized or not. Then they move to Rangsit, and the elders in Rangsit get some stuff flowing, find out that there are a handful of members that speak Vietnamese and Cambodian and here we are. 3 years and 6 months later. They've received permission from way high up to get baptized. And they bore some solid testimonies. Each of them so grateful for this opportunity to be baptized here in Thailand. From one of their testimonies "I had repented every day for these past years since I have come to know the truth of the Book of Mormon, and now I know I have received the remission of my sins."

3 years dude.

Then the younger boy is a baller! Elder Aposhian invited him a few days ago, Tae! Tae is a college student and has seen miracles on miracles on miracles. He first met the missionaries in NORWAY. WHAT. Yeah, met them, they invited him, but he was like meh. So then back to Thailand. Is looking for an English class for his mom, connects with missionaries again, is progressing so well, then his mom gets sick and he disappears. And then a year later he gets re-invited, says nothing about knowing missionaries before. He's invited off of English. Then basically says "Hey, I need to get baptized, I've put it off for a year." Did we mention he's studying at Thammasat, and is fluent in 6 languages right now? This is one amazing person.

I LOVE THESE PEOPLE.

Now onto the other two guys that helped us baptize them all.

The super Chinese looking one...well he's from a Chinese hill tribe and has waited for more than 5 years to be baptized. He was baptized a few months ago here in Rangsit with his wife.

Then the other Thai person, well get this. He's been invited 3 times. In three different places and has literally been taught all over Thailand, until he was finally baptized here in Rangsit.

I LOVE THESE PEOPLE.

Members were way excited to see their friends finally get baptized.

​Fun fact. We ordered new inviting cards and then they got sent to a different area....But good thing we still have like a few thousand of these "Korean men baptizing each other" cards....

We ordered Mcdonalds....because thats what you can do in Thailand. When we called in the order they had the missionaries phone number in the system and knew exactly where to go. I love Asia. And also like I said, we have a ridiculous amount of these baptism cards...Idk why we have so many of them it's a bit absurd......

I'm telling you, we find these cards every where. Even when we're trying to work on baptismal programs in Vietnamese, they're every where.

Just gonna throw in this last bit.

2 Nephi 31:12

"And also, the voice of the Son came unto me, saying:He that is baptized in my name, to him will the Father give the Holy Ghost, like unto me; wherefore, follow me, and do the things which ye have seen me do."

One of the favorite scriptures of an investigator that will be getting baptized next week. We had him help us teach some other investigators and he knows what he needs to do to change and be baptized. He truly understands that baptism is much more than just "ล้าง บาป." He knows the importance of these steps, and he knows and is starting to understand the goal. Baptism without confirmation is useless. Seeing people's understanding grow and truly being converted before baptism is just amazing.

Like it feels like a dream. But it's all real. All of it.

Stoked.

Aloha,

Elder แอลลิส

Forward Ever. Stopping Never.

DREAMING WK1

The new district, also with one of our favorite investigators who is getting baptized next week Sunday! Crazy story that I'll share, cause investigators are awesome people and we love them so much. (Probs gonna try to retake this picture some other night if we ever end up walking across this bridge again)

It doesn't even feel like a grind. It feels like im floating on water. Like as if I just spun off the top of the wave bodysurfing and got a clean line set in the wave and then pull another spin and then its sunset and the water is straight glass cause no wind, and then the lip throws right over my head and im just like surrounded by dancing colors and glass and like this analogy doesn't make sense to about 99% of the people on this email list but its the only way to describe how stoked I am here in Rangsit.

So yeah. Elder Aposhian is a boss. He speaks super clear tie. Elder Chandler (The other new missionary) makes the best animal sounds in the world, and Elder Mckay is a stud. What more could I ask for?

So to start the stoke, their have been a group of Vietnamese refugees that missionaries in Rangsit have been teaching for around 5 months. But they have been coming to church for around 3 years, just no one could actually talk to them and communicate or thought to ask if they were members or not. So they're in Rangsit. Get taught because a member can speak Vietnamese and a few other South East Asia languages fluently (Cause SE Asians are bosses at languages) and then they are taught. A family just wanting to get baptized. Have to wait for permission from high up on the chain...and then this past week they got it. They have been allowed to be baptized! FAMILIES! BAPTISM! PEOPLE CONVERTED TO CHRIST!

Hahahah, and then the other guy in the pic, he's a former investigator that had met the missionaries in Norway first, then again in Thailand. Learned English with them and and then his mom got sick. Long story short, he has seen miracles of healing and change in his life. Then Elder Aposhian invited him to come to English and he came asking to learn again. Not only does he speak English and Thai, but also Norwegian and a bit of Chinese. Such a smart guy! We have taken him with us to teach other investigators, Less active members, and also go out inviting at markets. It's legit.

I am in this real dream. Everything I've ever prayed, hoped, and worked for is here. This is the accumulation of hours...days...weeks..months worth of doing everything we could. So much work has been put into this area by missionaries before, we just can't stop the momentum. It's everything we want and need and then some more. 

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2016/04/that-i-might-draw-all-men-unto-me?lang=eng

"At the same, time I can emphatically state that because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, ultimately, in the eternal scheme of things, there will be no unfairness. "All that is unfair about life can be made right." Our present circumstances may not change, but through God's compassion, kindness, and love, we will all receive more than we deserve, more than we can ever earn, and more than we can ever hope for. We are promised that "God shall wipe away all tears from [our] eyes; and there shall be no more death. neither sorrow, nor crying. neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away""

I know for a fact that the Atonement is real and it works. Every feeling of sadness or sorrow, those things will pass. I think that's why no matter what happens we should try to be quick to forgive and even quicker to love. There's so much power and strength that can be found. So just use it.

​I love Thailand and food and everything about this place.

Also planning on a haircut so โชคดีเด้อ.

Aloha,

Elder แอลลิส

Forward Ever. Stopping Never.