Monday, September 8, 2014

Baptism! Week #14


So yesterday we had our first baptism! It was so great! วิน was pretty much handed to us. He was so ready. It worked out well because everything went smoothly and we were able to baptize him before church. Then that sacrament he was able to receive the Holy Ghost. In a way, its easier because you don't have to stress out all week and worry that they will come the next Sunday and get the Holy Ghost. So yeah that was great. I am excited to start his after baptism lessons! Then we get to really secure his faith and his conversion. :)
Saturday we had the privilege to go to Asoke and hear from the President of the Mission department Elder Allen. It is actually the 3rd time I have heard from him because he came twice at the MTC. From that training, I guess I took it way different than everyone else. He came in hard and I loved it! All week I have been getting told from the spirit to go and get referrals and do member missionary work. And Sister Her is awesome with member missionary work. So we already had made all these plans in weekly planning this week to work with the members. But anyways, as great as this mission is, we have this problem with baptizing and not retaining. I guess most of the missionaries here felt like it was a call to repentance. I loved it and agreed with every word he said! But then again I am a greenie and can't take credit in any of this missions successes or fails yet. But at one point he said we would all go to heaven and say we served in the Thailand Bangkok mission and all of the angles would go, "BOO!!!" So yeah it was direct. But thats the way I like it. He said we were great at baptizing but now we need to focus on member missionary work. I don't think there is anything wrong or bad about that, he is just trying to help us balance what our focus is on. It was awesome. But only the missionaries in Bangkok and leaders got to attend. So that was fun because I got to see some of my old MTC district. All those Elders though are still stuck way out there because the only Elder I have seen still is Elder Curtis. 
So for this Sunday we have 3 people with a date but I am not sure if any of them will be ready... Not because I don't have faith in them but some people just like to take their time learning. They are all making progress and reading the Book of Mormon and praying but its just in their personalities to take big decisions at a slower pace. So we will see what comes of this next Sunday.
This week I went on a switch off with the Sister Training leader Sister Packard. It was way fun. Its nice to see how missionary work is the same and yet everyone does it differently. But I got to lead all of the lessons and make decisions for the day. Thats the most fun way to do missionary work is to be in charge but have a translator. Ha ha just kidding. But she is an awesome missionary and I feel like I was able to learn a lot from her. She also got to enjoy getting completely drenched with me. Some of our things involving planners and books don't like water so much. Luckily nothing got ruined... Just a little warped.
Ok and I have to share this quick and hope it makes sense. Because the church is so new here and pretty much everyone has converted from Buddhism, I guess a lot of apostate things are said and it sounds like Priesthood on Sundays is pretty bad.Elder Hill (my district leader) was comparing it to whack a mole. Some member says some crazy apostate thing and your like no thats not right and you wack it down. Before you know it someone else is saying something else and so you have to smack that down. And it just keeps happening and you have to keep whacking the moles down! Ha ha it was pretty funny but they had some crazy funny examples of what members have said. Lets see: One lady said she knew resurrection was true because a man showed up at church that looked just like her dead brother. She asked if he had a mole on his stomach and he did. So she has a testimony of resurrection because of that experience.... Buddhist convert... Whack the mole of apostasy. Ha ha
Its crazy because you do so much as a missionary and time flies and by the end of the week, thinking back you don't even know where the week went. 
So here is the thought I want to leave you with today. Something I learned from our training with Steven B. Allen. Member missionary work is the best way to do missionary work. So even though most people reading this are not called as full time missionaries with a nametag, the most important missionary work is done through you. Find ways to share the gospel and invite people to have that eternal joy, peace, and blessings that you have. Why would you not want others to have that? Is fear really going to keep you from sharing something as great as the gospel with others? I just know I want to completely change the kind of member I was when I am back from my mission, because I was awful. Ha ha
I hope you are all still doing awesome out there in the real world with real lives! Love you all!

-Sister Nethercott

Six of us in a taxi... Saves us a little money.

This is what visiting RCLA's turns into. The last cordination meeting they were very firm that this was necessary to bringing them back to church. Sister Her and I thought it was weird. But they insisted. So we went. It is their new business. It felt way good! Ha ha. But after she only had tan makeup and apparently bright pink lipstick is in here! Ha ha Yep the result of visiting RCLA's.
RCLA = Recent Convert, Less Active



Here are the bugs we found in the church yesterday.



วิน getting ready for his baptism! :) We had 3 future priesthood holders get the holy ghost in sacrament yesterday. Thats what the bishop asked for was priesthood holders. I hope he thinks we are delivering!


Elder Curtis being 3 years old again licking the bowl of the pancake batter. It was good because we through in extra vanilla. :) Surprisingly that wasn't my idea either, it was the genious of Elder Hill.

Elder Wolfley broke, or fractured his foot during sports night on Friday. He has to wear a cast for two weeks then he gets his boot.





Apparently there was some new fifa online thing going on at the mall. In the internet cafes that is all they play here! Everyone is so obsessed... Ha ha it never leaves.



This street vendor randomly showed up Friday in front of the church. I hope he comes back because his food was good!



And this is how you get soda here... In a bag. Ha ha I don't get it either. Its so you can have ice. They keep the ice with the ice cream and then they pop open the glass bottle and poor it in the bag. It works though... And soup they keep in bags too with rubberbands and they stay and don't spill... It must be an asian thing. Ha ha
 
The lovely traffic of Bang Khen


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