This past week started off with Family Home Evening at the Barlows' Home!
The two Greenies of Chiang Mai!
Elder Sun's surprised porcupine face!
Elder Saunders just being Elder Saunders
One big happy family!^^
Some very attractive faces...
Sister Courchaine's family!
Her พ่อ (Pa) is Elder Sun who is depicted as a porcupine...
Her แม่ (MEE) is me, depicted as a bunny.
Sister Courchaine was very excited that we could get tissue from a tissue dispenser vending machine!
Inviting on the streets of Thailand... I got rejected by a dog too...
But, the times that someone does accept an invitation to learn more about Christ, makes all the rejections worthwhile!!
Saturday night spent with Sister Noot's family and Brother Oom!
Sunday late afternoon inviting at a park!
I think I am finally learning to not just have joy in the Work of Salvation, but to have a lot of fun too!
Training is proving to be an interesting experience...
There are moments when I can truly see just how far I have come on my mission.
Probably the most prominent incidence was that first day with Sister Courchaine.
We were in a taxi on our way to the bus station to head to Chiang Mai.
Feeling that I needed to set a good example for my Greenie right off the bat, I was determined to have a nice gospel related conversation with the taxi driver.
Up until that point, I had always been awed at how easily my companions seemed to be able to have conversations with taxi drivers that so naturally tied in with the gospel.
As I opened my mouth and let the words flow, I could so strongly feel that the Spirit was guiding me to ask the right questions to get to know the driver, and to testify of the truths that I know to be true.
It was a lengthy ride to the bus station because we were stuck in traffic (at least half an hour).
By the end of that ride, I was amazed that I had just so easily kept the conversation flowing and had constantly been able to tie it back to the gospel in some way.
I could feel that everything that I had learned on my mission thus far were all being pulled together for that one experience.
It was a great blessing to be able to test myself and see how far I have truly come.
If my trainer had told me when I was a Greenie that one day, I could have a full fluent conversation like that with a taxi driver, I wouldn't have believed it.
My favourite experience from this week happened on Saturday.
We had planned to go visit an LA, Sister Dao at her hair salon, but when we got there, we found that she already had a guest.
So, we decided that we were going to go do other things instead.
To our dismay, we found that my bike lock was broken and would not open!
After 10 minutes of struggling, we just decided to leave our bikes and go inviting on foot instead.
After a couple hours of roaming around the neighbourhood inviting on the streets, and making invitations for a church activity at an internet cafe, we decided it was time to go back.
When we returned to Sister Dao's hair salon, we found her busy with a customer.
As we sat down to wait, we witnessed Sister Dao pour out her testimony about prayer and Heavenly Father to her client.
Sister Courchaine and I were wide-eyed in awe!
We listened, and when the time came, we taught the client how to pray and invited her to learn more and she accepted!
Both Sister Courchaine and I could not help but wonder how the circumstances would have played out differently had our bikes unlocked when we wanted them to.
Our initial reason for going to visit Sister Dao was to follow up with her for fasting for our Branch's 40 Day Fast.
The missionaries challenged the members to prayerful consider someone in their lives that may be ready to accept the gospel.
We were a couple days late following up with Sister Dao because other things had come up the day before, deterring our opportunity to go visit her.
I am so grateful for the Lord's timing and His guidance in this important work of Salvation.
If we had been there to visit Sister Dao the day before, or even a couple hours before...we may never have met that client who became a referral!
I am so grateful for Sister Dao's faith and her testimony and her willingness to fast to help the Lord's Great Work!
(Needless to say, our bikes were promptly unlocked after that experience and we could go on our way to accomplish the other things we had planned that day).
I am so wonderfully surrounded by miracles each and everyday!
The Church of Jesus Christ is true!
And there is so much power in prayer and faith.
One of our investigators, Sister Game finally came to church on Sunday after weeks and weeks of inviting her!
I know that the faith and prayerful fasts of the members of Chiang Mai are bringing about great works!
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