We Need Opposition in Order to Grow...and Some Rain!

Hey everyone!!

This week it rained a ton, but one awesome thing happened to start off the week.  One night when Sis Hoffman and I were eating dinner, one of our investigators, Sister Oum, called to she is ready to get baptized on Sunday, and asked what she needed to do!  We were all like...well we just have to come and teach you a bit more first. She was soo excited as were we! She has been praying about being able to get baptized for the past 2 months, and finally she overcame the obstacles! I sure love her. Her husband is a member who just recently came back to church and they have a little girl. I am so happy to see their whole family in the gospel! 

 

On Tuesday we had district meeting at the dinosaur park in Galasin (one hour away from here. It's where our district leader lives). It was really fun, but it did start pouring rain!!!!! 

Another awesome thing about this week was that we moved into the new house!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It is sooo nice, but boy the 'struggle was real' moving all that stuff from the old house. Luckily, we had a ton of great members to help us! 

One funny thing was in Book of Mormon class this week (which I translated into Thai for the class) a bat had gotten in to the room. One second we were talking about the scriptures, and the next there was this GIANT bat swooping around trying to fly at my face. Apparently I looked a little scared and everyone laughed and laughed. Then Sister Laoli just grabbed the bat with her shoes and threw it outside like a professional exterminator. Then all was well again.  

Another funny thing that happened this week was that taught in the Essan language! Or at least tried too.... One of our investigators Sister Noy, only speaks Essan and doesn't really understand Thai. In the lessons the members were usually just translating everything we said, but I was getting kinda sick of that and thought...."If I can understand Essan, why don't I just try and speak it." I did...and I think she understood at least 70 percent better...yay!! 

This week the ward also had a service project to do some service at an recent convert's house. So many people went, and I was happy.

On Sunday, Sister Noy and SIster Oum got baptized!! It was such a happy day...they were both so willing to make this commitment, and had so much faith that they knew the gospel would bless their lives.

Elder Holland is coming to the mission in 2 weeks and man, am I excited!

Lately I have been learning a lot about Charity...well let me back up a little, this learning about charity all started with me studying Christlike attributes. 

When I was in the MTC I was studying faith, and praying for faith...and what I got was a test of faith. When I was in Chiang Mai I studied hope, and I received an opportunity to practice hope. Here in Mahasarakham I have been studying about Charity, and what I have received is lots of opportunities to practice Charity. I have also learned that you sure get what you pray for!  I have also learned that we need opposition in order to grow...to practice these things, to become more like Christ. As of late I have been thinking about a conference talk that has helped me a ton on my mission. It is from the October 2014 General Conference, and is called, "Standing in Front of the Throne of God with Confidence"...or something like that. It is by Elder Klebingat. Anyways, there is one part in that article that resonates with me every time I face an obstacle. It is that every time we face a challenge we need to say in essence, "I know what this is Lord...a time to prove myself," and then partner with the Lord to endure well to the end. Life is a test and it is meant to be so. Thinking about life like this helps me to realize that all is but a moment and all shall pass, and as such, we need to make the most of it and always strive to learn and grow. 

I love you all!!

Sister Remington