Ward Talent Show Week #22

Well unfortunately today I didn't make it to see the monkeys but now I have time to email! Ha ha The crazy Elders that went last Pday, well they had some stories. Ha ha they teased the monkey's, got bit, had to get rabies shots, and one of them passed out when they put it in his finger. I guess the nurse wasn't really watching him so he fell over and hit his head. That ended with him needing stitches and having a nice bandaid on his head. Of course this all happened just in time for mission tour this week when Elder Gong (from the seventy) and his wife came. I expect going to Lopburi will be banned for missionaries soon. It is already recommended we don't go. 

Beyond that it has been another great week here in Bang Khen. Hopefully not one of the last with transfers happening on Thursday. We should be getting called about that sometime today to know who is moving! We think a lot of things are going to change because we have pretty much stayed the same in this district for 12 weeks now. Two of us are now finished with training. About 8 sisters are finishing their mission and about 8 are coming in. So I expect a lot to be changing. 

This week I guess I shouldn't have said it was great because Sister Her was sick... Thats kind of rude calling it great week when your companion would probably not agree. Because Sister Her was feeling sick, it was a bit more of a slow paced week. I got a lot of personal study time in which was way nice. Yet somehow I wish I got more! I love having time to just sit and study the scriptures. There just isn't enough time in a day because the scriptures all together just so happen to be a pretty long book. Ha ha

This week we also got to go to mission tour! That was cool. Wednesday night we went to Asoke for a devotional that had a surprise icecream social. Yum free icecream! Yes I got two bowls. Ha ha Thursday we headed to Cheang Watana for the rest of the devotional. There we had Que Pasa cater so I got chips and salsa! Man do I miss Mexican flavors here. But the devotionals were really good. Before going we were informed the theme was the restoration, the atonement, families, priesthood, stakes and temples. Before going it made me laugh a little, the whole church is the theme right? But Elder Gong, Sister Gong, President Senior, and Sister Senior all gave great talks about the topics. They made them flow so well together. Everything the church teaches just glide and connect together perfectly. One thing the church believes easily strengthens a different topic or subject the church also teaches about. Its just great.

This Saturday we had a ward talent show. That was really funny! It had a seventies theme and they pretty much turned the church gym into a club with the speakers and lights they had set up. It was pretty cool. For the missionaries talent we did the macarana. Ha ha Then the ward mission leaders interrupted us and said it was boring so they took over and turned it into the Harlem shake... They wanted us to be a lot more interesting but we told them the macarana is as interesting as missionaries are allowed to get. Ha ha I think I will have to steal the video of that from someone in the ward who recorded it. 

Beyond on that, nothing too interesting happened this week. Just working with our investigators, recent converts, and finding new investigators. The life of a missionary right there. Ha ha

Here is the scripture I want to share this week: Moroni 7:13

 "But behold, that which is of God inviteth and enticeth to do good continually; wherefore, every thing which inviteth and enticeth to do good, and to love God, and to serve him, is inspired of God."

God isn't just in the spiritual aspects of our lives. Anything good comes from Him. If you are looking for His hand in your life, just look around you and find all the good there is!

I hope you all have had an awesome week! Love you!

-ชิสเตอร์ ค็อท 

(Sister Cott, I don't know if I have mentioned this, but that is my name here. Ha ha no one can say Nethercott. It actually gets confusing when we are at meetings with missionaries and they ask me what my name is because my first response is always Sister Cott now.)

Sorry I kinda forgot to take pictures this week and Sister Her was sick so nothing interesting enough happened to take pictures of... My bad. Here is the talent show.

Hi Mom,

That is so crazy that the house is so empty! Ha ha It makes me think of that first night when we all slept up in the piano room together when we first moved in. 

I am so jealous you got to see Gordon Hayward! Not fair! Ha ha I bet Gray wasn't focused on dinner at all. 

Kylie's ring is huge! At least it looks huge in the picture. It looks like a pretty dramatic engagement with the sign and the roses and the waterfall. They seem to get bigger and bigger as time keeps going. Ha ha

This week we had mission tour. Something I like that was said about the atonement or final judgement is that in order for us all to be judged fairly we all have to be treated differently. Its funny how that can make sense. But all of our circumstances play a role in everything that we are judged for. During a discussion we had about it at "family dinner" last night, it was brought up that the gospel helps even the playing field for everyone. But you still can't judge a member of the church that is from the slums of the Philippines and Mitt Romney the same. I am just glad that my Savior knows me perfectly and will know how to judge me perfectly. I just need to do my best to follow his teachings and use His Atonement. :) I wish I could have been there for that lesson though, it sounds really good. You can't quite get those powerful Sunday school lessons when it is mostly new converts, teaching new members, and it is in a language you don't fully understand. 

Good luck with moving and everything! I am actually really excited for you guys. I think it will be really good for all of you. Funny timing though, the only time I really miss home is for Holidays. You are moving just in time to miss all of them! Ha ha. Guess I won't have to miss being home for Holidays as much now. But I hope this opens up a lot of good opportunities and new experiences. And you will get to see Dad! Ha ha that'll be different. 

Well love you! 

-Sister Nethercott

Hi Dad,

That is a lot of miles flown! (200k and going) Save those up for a daddy daughter trip touring all these lovely places you are working at. :) I loved the long flight over to Thailand. After all of that scheduled time at the MTC and knowing there was over a year of fully scheduled time ahead, well taking some time to sleep was nice. Ha ha What's going on in India? Are you thinking about starting the next school there? I am glad to hear there is no Ebola in Kenya. I was a bit concerned hearing about it and knowing you travel to Africa so often these days. I have been thinking lately that you should start finding me a spot in your company. What you are doing is really so cool. I think after the gospel, education is the next best thing you can share with people. I could be your personal secretary. Ha ha But really... Could I have an in?

Oh sports... I am glad I stopped watching them for that while before leaving. I think they would be a serious distraction. Ha ha Elder Curtis has completely pulled himself away from them. If he brings up things like why McDonalds sells a bunch of chicken nuggets on certain days it takes him a long time to explain because to him sports just don't exist anymore. Its kind of entertaining to mess with him by bringing up certain conversations and ask him who certain people are. Ha ha

Unfortunately I don't get to go have fun with the monkeys today. The Elders tease them too much. It kind of scared everyone out of going I think. And I guess the Seniors recommend the missionaries don't go often. That might be something I have to do when you come pick me up. :) Is that the plan? For you to come pick me up? You won't be too far away if you are still in Malaysia. 

So the way Sister Her likes to contact is by walking around... She says if you stand in one place it feels way longer. So we walk around (because there are people everywhere here) and every single person we pass we ask, "sonjay by bood?" Which is are you interested in going to church? Or we ask if they have ever gone in the church before and if they want to. But seriously anywhere where you go, all of the time you have to ask every single person. It is the rule of the mission. If someone is on the phone, you still interupt them, if someone is on a bike, you make them stop. Everyone. Bus stops are the worst! You start at one end and just go down the line of 20 people and ask every single one of them the same thing. Ha ha Once I learn Thai, I think I will change things up more. Ha ha But most missionaries just hold out the card to everyone and say Do you want to wash your sins? I think thats how that would translate. Ha ha I don't like that one as much. And when you hold out the cards here in Bang Khen people just think you are selling something and they don't even listen to what you have to say.

Transfers is this week. I think I am staying but I am not sure. I think Sister Her will move.I don't know. Now would be a good time to head out to the Issan for the lantern festival. But Elder Hill said it is pretty in Bangkok too, just illegal or something. Ha ha But I have some theories. I can tell you about them once they happen. 

I think this week we might be dropping a lot of our investigators. They all want to keep learning but don't seem to see the final goal as baptism... Its kinda a sticky situation when it is like that. Especially how we do things here in Thailand. Our district laughs about how ridiculous our mission actually is. If you aren't baptized in 2 weeks you aren't elect. If you don't answer after we call twice, your a contacted referral. If you aren't a dater at the end of the first lesson, you never will be. Ha ha We move quick here. If missionaries were like that in America... Ha ha the difference.

Well I hope you land safely and enjoy home for the last week! Love you!

-Sister Nethercott

Did the Elders actually catch the swan and cook it? Ha ha Crazy idiots! Ha ha

Baptism! Week #20

Another great week in Bang Khen! I will start with the big news of the week. Our cute investigator Connae got baptized! We have been teaching her for about a month now. And for the past couple weeks we weren't sure why she wasn't taking a baptismal date. She had a testimony and had friends at church. Then we found out she was praying and asking a personal question that she was waiting for an answer to. Well this week she got her answer and came to the appointment wanting to surprise us. She told us she got an answer and wanted to be baptized that Sunday! So we got everything ready and what a great service it was! The Elders had two of their investigators get baptized too. So we had a contact, a referral, and an English referral baptism yesterday!

There is this cute old lady who is an RC of the Elders. They have the funniest stories about her. Her name is Sister nit. When they taught her the word of wisdom they asked if she understood and her reply was drink water. Ha ha But when they announced the baptism in relief society she asked "baptism, whats that? Oh shower." And we said no baptism. And she was like what does that translate to? So I told her washing sins. And she was like oh I understand. Ha ha During book of mormon class she gave Elder Curtis a fist bump and asked what does this translate to? Hello? Ha ha She is just so funny and so cute!

Last week we got to watch conference! I haven't had a chance to write since then. It was so good though! Conference as a missionary is great because you are spiritually prepared for what they say. People always say if you go to conference with a question it will be answered. Well it is true! I didn't even realize what my question was but it was something I talked to Sister Her about earlier that week. I hope everyone had a chance to get their questions answered. Or at least learn something new and get more direction in their lives. I loved Jorg Klebingat's talk. It really makes you evaluate where you are with everything. I love it because it explains the how so well and not just the what. Sometimes I feel like things are hard in the church because you know where you need to be but you don't always know how to get there. I feel like he plainly explained how to get where you want to be. It was really good. I just can't wait to get the conference ensign and have a chance to read all of the talks over again! 

Conference is the one day that missionaries are supposed to be able to kind of just take a moment for themselves. Not this time. Ha ha. The church has only one remote. So we would have to wait and time when we would start around the members. Then they decided to lock the remote in the bishops office and leave before we had a chance to watch the second session because we had to teach investigators! So the Elders had to take a bus and meet a member who had keys to the office so that we could get the remote! It was so chaotic. And then Sunday session, we had a baptism in between. So people were eating instead of coming to the baptism. And then they started their session and they moved everything out of the room we were watching conference in. And it was chaotic again! Ha ha Conference changed from a four hour event both days to a nearly all day event that we barely finished in time before needing to go home. So much for the legend that it is the day the missionaries can kind of take for themselves. Ha ha

As usual, we just spend our days contacting and teaching. The weeks go by way fast! Its crazy! So much happens and by the end of the week I don't really know what to say. Ha ha

When we taught English this week we taught about the weather. This was the scripture we shared with the spiritual thought. Helaman 5:12

"And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall."

When we focus our life around the Savior we can have strength in everything we do. No matter how big or small a decision is, it should be made with Christ in mind. Rely on Him and He will give you the strength to endure all things.

I hope you have all had a great week! Love you all!

-Sister Nethercott

Quick note to us answering some questions we asked:

Nothing is really new. No there weren't more floods this week. (We asked the difference between splits and switch-offs) We called them splits in the MTC... I am not really sure when that changed. I think we still call it splits for the Elders... Its a switch off when you switch areas, a split when you just switch comps for a bit. I think thats right. The sisters have Sister training leaders. They are kind of like Zone leaders for sisters. Each zone has one. That is who we go on splits with is that companionship. I heard that started when they switched the age. The taxi ride with good traffic is about a half hour. The taxi ride in the rain is over an hour. Ha ha it just depends on traffic. But it isn't too far at all. Because I am in Bangkok. Out in the Issan sometimes they are multiple hours away.

Did you see meet the mormons? Kaori got to and she said it was really good. I really want to see it now! Ha ha hopefully when it is on dvd or something we will be able to see it here? Hopefully! 

I eat patpomgarimugrab (Does anyone know what this is???) nearly every day. I guess president is addicted to it too. He brought it up during my interview with him last week. Ha ha we bonded over our love of good food. 

In hasn't got permission to be baptized. I guess she has chinese ancestry and her parents are like no you have to wai your dead grandparents and things like that. So we told her to keep asking. She is still out of town with her parents. She is getting back this week so hopefully we can help her get permission somehow. Its been hard trying to meet up with and find new investigators this week. It has been testing for the past couple weeks but starting next week I think testing will be over and people will have a little more time in their schedule and won't just say I can't go to church I am testing. (Brecklyn lives near a University so there a lot of students around.)

I hope that answered all of your questons! Good luck and have fun packing! I want to see pictures of your rings when they are all done. (we're having our wedding rings re-sized and slightly changed)  :) Sorry if I missed any questions. If I did, ask again. :) Ha ha Love you guys!

with my companion Sister Her

It rains all of the time! I kinda like it though... It means its not so hot! This is on the campus of the college down the street... It is way cute! It has these cute little buses driving around everywhere. And then a regular bus... That was blasting music like a dance party... Ha ha

For some reason this street we turned down reminded me of the dharma initiative or whatever it is called from Lost.

This is what the sidewalks look like around here. They are taken over by clothes and food and so many things that people sell there is barely ever space to walk. And then it is Bangkok so there are lots of people. And then you hold up traffic because you are supposed to contact everyone... Ha ha

Our cute investigator that got baptized yesterday! 

We were helping the ward set up for the talent show this week. I need to get an after picture... It is pretty cool!

 

And this back pack... I want to get a white tiger one. I've seen people with one but I don't know where they sell them. They are hilarious! Ha ha

Getting ready to watch conference

This is Sister Nit when it was raining.... Ha ha

Eating for FHE

something Loyed wrote and showed us during English
(If you remember, Loyed kind of has a thing for the sisters and usually brings some sort of treat for her to English class)

No time! Week #19

Hey so today we have interviews with the pres. I don't have much time... And I forgot my camera charging at home. So I will just write next week and send the pictures next week. Sorry... I hope you weren't looking forward to anything. I love you!

-Sister Nethercott

That's all we got this week.  :(

Close those umbrellas of fear! Week #18

Another great week here in Bangkok! I finally got to see womens conference. It was so good! It also made me sad though... Everything was about temples. I miss the temple so much! And then that video was weird... With the Spanish, Japanese, and Thai... I almost wanted to just take the subtitles out! Ha ha (Brecklyn has studied all these languages so I guess it would be annoying to not be able to listen to the native language.) But then it showed the Draper Temple, I got way sad because that is home right there. Nothing makes me more home sick than seeing the Draper Temple. All of the talks were great though. I always love President Uchtdorf. I feel like he really knows how to speak to women. It got me way excited for General Conference which we will get to watch next week!

This week has been pretty usual. Just filling our days with contacting, teaching investigators and visiting RC's. We finally have a dater! I went on a switch off and came back to find out that this cute girl we are teaching accepted a date! She is the one who is under 18 and her school has a break so she is going to be out of town a bit. She has a date for the last Sunday this month but it might have to be after transfers depending on how many Sundays she is in town for. 

The switch off was fun! We had zone training this week so I went to Don Muang after lunch. We contacted, had ward sports night (which I won the basketball game!) and then we taught an investigator. He took a date so fast! I think Bang Khen is just weird... Sister Her says its never been like this on her whole mission. Apparently people usually just take dates pretty fast like I saw the man do in Don Muang. After teaching we just went home, had studies the next morning, and after lunch I was back in Bang Khen. 

Church this Sunday was super great. Because Thailand watches General Conference a week later, it was a regular fast Sunday. Testimony meeting was really good though, so many of the members in the congregation were crying and feeling the spirit so strong. The testimonies here are so solid which is crazy for how new most of the members are! They can just see the difference the church has made in their lives. Its awesome!

Some things that keep being a missionary fun are times like when I was in the taxi the other day. I sat down next to the driver and started a conversation with him. He responded and then he looked at me and just started laughing. I asked him what was funny and he just kept laughing and said, "your a farang!" (which is what they call white people or foreigners here). And I asked him, "why is that funny?" and he responded still laughing, "because you are speaking Thai!"

Or when you get turned down while inviting to church. "No I am not interested I am Buddhist. But you speak Thai well. And you are pretty," says the sweet older women. That is the best kind of no... It isn't always that nice. Ha ha

Another fun experience, I got my hair cut by one of our RC's. We told her to just trim the ends... Well part way through Sister Her goes over and asks, "What are you doing?" RC replies excitedly, "This haircut is so easy, there are only 2 steps! Come here! Come look!" And then snip! Well lets just say I have lots of layers.... Maybe braids won't be happening this mission. Ha ha

But being a missionary is really great. There are always just crazy or funny things going on all of the time. Seriously, if anyone reading this is considering going on a mission, I say do it!

I am not really sure what to share for a spiritual thought this week. I think I will just leave the advice to go watch conference! I am sure it was great. Oh and go to the temple! Its important and should be done often! 

I also want to again share what President Uchtdorf said from Womens conference. Don't let your fears or disobedience to the commandments keep you from receiving the blessings the Lord wants to poor down on you. Being here in Thailand during rainy season, I can really understand the difference between using an umbrella and forgetting it at home. I am sure the blessings the Lord has ready to poor down on you are similar to the down poors here... Trust me getting drenched with blessings is what will happen. Close those umbrellas of fear!

I love you all and hope you have had a good week!

-Sister Nethercott

The Elders in the rain

It stayed flooded not too long. It was gone when we walked home that night

Good thing we got the ward picture right before all of the rain last week!

The Mini Big C. Its like the Walmart of Thailand. Big C is. But this one is a mini one. So it is mini Big C. I find that funny.... Ha ha

Cocroaches

Sugar glider on my district leader's head

cute babies that run around church sticking their hands in the trash cans and toilets

Family Dinner. Spaghetti! :)

This is what happens when Elder Curtis eats too much during family dinner.