This week was so good. There were tons of CRAZY rainstorms...and an AWESOME miracle happened.
The second week of this transfer Sister Yu was baptized. She is so awesome and has SO much faith. This whole transfer we have been trying to teach her family (her husband and 2 kids), but they are all SO busy (they sell meat at the market all day long) Her husband said he didn't know if he really wanted to keep the commandments. However, we kept working with them, and every time we went to visit Sister Yu at the market, we would share a scripture with their family and give them a note with a scripture written down to read later. Sister Yu's husband (Brother Sing) finally opened up one day and told us of an experience he'd had...where he knew that his family was needed in this church. However, he said he wasn't ready to be baptized. I bore my testimony to him and told him that I knew, knew, knew, that God needs him in this church...and in bearing my testimony, I knew that we both could feel the truth of those words. It was definitely one of the times I have felt the spirit the strongest while testifying in Thai. After that, the whole family began to come to church and Sister Mcknight and I would visit them at the market every night. Brother Sing and Sister May and Brother Swim (sister Yu's kids) maintained that they were not ready to be baptized...even though they felt it was true... as they wanted to see a miracle first. Sister Mcknight and I shared many, many scriptures with them about how faith converts, not miracles, but they still kept saying they needed a miracle first...and then they'd be baptized.
A couple of Sundays ago was fast Sunday, so Sister Mcknight, Tauteoli and I fasted and prayed that they would all be able to find an answer, and we would know how to help them as well. That same Sunday we fasted, an apostle named Elder Kanakham (a member of the quorum of the 70, who is Thai) came to church and spoke to everyone. After church, he came up and talked to me. We talked about my mission so far, and how I had been in Chiang Mai when his older Sister, who lives there, was preparing to be baptized. (I taught her) As we were talking we both look over to see Brother Sing helping brother Bandit and Sudjay (our recent converts who have trouble walking) down the hall. Elder Kanakham then turned to me and asked,"when is he going to be baptized?" I said that I didn't know, but we have been trying to work with him and his family. Elder Kanakham then said he would be an awesome member and then said bye.
That Tuesday Sister Mcknight, Tauteoli and I decided to go visit Sister yu. Brother Sing, SIster May, and Brother Swim at the market. Again, we decided to share a scripture, and ask them to be baptized. We didn't know what scripture we would share, but in the lesson I randomly opened up my Book of Mormon to Moroni 7:26 which says,
"And after that he came men also were saved by faith in his name; and by faith, they become the sons of God. And as surely as Christ liveth he spake these words unto our fathers, saying: Whatsoever thing ye shall ask the Father in my name, which is good, in faith believing that ye shall receive, behold, it shall be done unto you."
We then bore our testimonies to Brother Sing, Swim, and Sister May that we knew that this was true...after that I asked Brother Sing, Sister may, and Brother Swim if they would be baptized. May and Swim look at their Dad..and he said, "Yes." We were floored as he went on to say that he saw a miracle. The miracle he explained to us was, "when the apostle came to visit on Sunday I heard him tell the branch president to take good care of me and my family....I have never felt such genuine love and concern from someone I don't know...after this I decided to be baptized." We all felt the spirit so strongly, and Sister Yu clapped her hands together in excitement. We told them how much we love their family, and left them with our testimonies of how much their Heavenly Father loves them too.
We biked home (30 min) and it started to rain.....pour rain. The streets flooded and it was around 815 pm. We were biking in rain up to our ankles and got soaked! It just didn't matter though as we were all SO happy about this miracle we had witnessed that seemed to be so small, but had brought to pass a great thing: this whole family preparing to come unto Christ. It made me think of that scripture in Alma that says,"Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; but…by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; … and by very small means the Lord doth confound the wise and bringeth about the salvation of many souls.” It is really true that by those little things are miracles brought to pass. I have seen that on my mission, and in my life countless times.
When we got home, and began to lay out our stuff to dry, we realized that and our scriptures didn't even get wet...another miracle! I then tried to to re-read the verse that we had shared that night, as I didn't really know exactly what it had said in Thai. As I was re-reading the verse my eye caught the next verse...verse 27 which says, " Wherefore, my beloved brethren, have miracles ceased because Christ hath ascended into heaven, and hath sat down on the right hand of God, to claim of the Father his rights of mercy which he hath upon the children of men?"
I just want to say that I truly know that miracles have not ceased...and that Heavenly Father is always there...waiting to answer our prayers.
I will quickly summarize the rest of this week, as the email is getting kind of long.
- I ATE A BUG!! It was gross and very salty.
-Another investigator of ours Sister Gaw...acccepted a date to be baptized next week.
-Sister Tauteoli left Mahasarakham to be with Sister Burbank (my MTC comp) in Sisaket as her comp there went home. Sister McKnight and I are now the only missionaries in Mahasarakham. We joked this week that sometimes it feels like we are the DL's of Mahasarakham too, as the elders in our district live in another town an hour away, so they just interview our investigators over the phone, and Sis M and I fill out the records. It is a little scary having no missionaries other than us in this town, but it is only for a week and a half, as transfers are next week. We have so much work to do this week!
-We went to visit a member in the hospital yesterday, and there was dirt everywhere and spiders and dogs...and no AC. IF I AM SICK I DO NOT WANT TO GO THERE!
Anyways, I love you all! Sorry this email is SO long!
Love,
Sister Remington
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