Thai'd Up for 18 Months: Moved but still in Khon Kaen. Week #29

Well a busy week here in Thailand. I'd say Khon Kaen but part of the week was spent in Bangkok! Yes it was transfer week! Did I move... Well technically speaking yes. But down the street to the Elders apartment. I'll get to that though.

So Monday night we got transfer calls and only Elder Johnson was leaving. Sister Grover (my companion) had to go to Bangkok to do visa stuff so we had to go to transfer meeting anyway. Its weird. Each transfer I have had a dream or a feeling about something and well this one was the same. Not fully correct though. I had a dream we got 2 more sisters here in Khon Kaen. And Sister Grover felt something weird was going to happen. So we went to transfer meeting a little apprehensive.

We boarded the bus for the 7 hour ride down to Bangkok on Wednesday. That night I got to go back to Bang Khen!!! :) When I called to let the sisters know we would be staying the night there they told me that my investigator I taught for nearly 12 weeks was getting baptized! That Wednesday night too! So I prayed that the bus would get in early or they would start late and I could make it. Well I missed it... But that's ok. Because when I walked through the gate of the church she came and gave me a big hug and said, "I got baptized!" I said, "I know what took you so long?" Ha ha. But she replied, "I don't know I should've done it a lot sooner." Then right after that my RC came and gave me a big hug. And then just everyone was at the church and I got to see them all! It felt like that feeling you get going home after a long vacation. Even though I was sleeping on the tile floor with no pillow, I was so happy to be there. :)

Then the next day we went to transfers. In a way I was sad because no one from my last district was there. None of the Bang Khen elders were moving and were told they couldn't come. Sister Her was stuck in Laos. And Elder Curtis was too busy being an office elder to talk. But I did get to see a lot of my friends form the MTC! So transfers started and well we now have 2 more elders here in Khon Kaen. There are now 6 missionaries here. So we didn't get 2 more sisters, just 2 more elders. Which also meant we got kicked out of our adorable white house right next to the church. Where did we move? The cluttered gross messy apartment of the elders. That took some time to clean and get organized. I think we got it to a livable point now. Ha ha

So yes a start of a new transfer here. Time to set new goals and figure out how to really help this area!

Helaman 3:25 "And so great was the prosperity of the church, and so many the blessings which were poured out upon the people, that even the high priests and the teachers were themselves astonished beyond measure." We are seeing the miracles and the blessings here in Thailand. I hope that as we continue to share the gospel as missionaries and as members of this church that we will be astonished and recognize all the blessings the Lord has given us. :)

Love you all!

-Sister Nethercott

And here's some questions we asked her:

Did you get your package? Yes! Thank you!!! The stockings are so cute! And it has granola bars and fruit snacks. Thanks! I should've probably mentioned this last time, as missionaries we aren't allowed to chew gum. I didn't think I'd get sent more gum and forgot to bring it up. But if for some reason you were to send me another package, I don't need gum. ha ha But thank you! I really appreciate it. :)

The missionaries here seem to speak a lot at church so I was wondering if you have to give a lot of talks in Sacrament meeting? I haven't had to speak yet. If there are any visitors here they speak. Even if they don't speak Thai. Ha ha they will just send a missionary up to translate. That was pretty funny to watch the reaction of this husband to a khon thai from Texas being volunteered by the stake president to speak. Its like when we have guests over for dinner we always make them pray. This branch is so small they like hearing from someone else. Ha ha But the Stake President can never remember my name so I was only called up as the new missionary. Sister Grover has been volunteered to speak though because he can remember her name. Ha ha

So what has become your favorite lesson to teach? Do you have a least favorite? My favorite lesson to teach is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I like it best because I know the most Thai for that lesson and it is easiest to explain. Ha ha My least favorite would be the restoration because they tend to ask hard questions to answer and its hard to explain in Thai. If you take the Thai out I love all the lessons. Ha ha

Do you have a good mission leader? Does he teach the sunday school lessons or do the missionaries have to teach? We have an investigator/RC sunday school class that other people teach. This last sunday the lesson was really good. The missionaries would be fine to teach. But it is better for the members to teach because the investigators/RCs have already heard what we have to say, can say, and know how to say about the lessons. Its cool to watch them learn from a khon thai.

Anything fun to go and see on a future Pday? Any elephants around? I was actually going to email this week and request you do some research about that. Ha ha Now that I am here another transfer I want to go see something fun. I haven't really heard of anything to go see.... But there has to be something! I don't know. We are right on the bottom corner of our zone. Anything North East of us we can go to. So if you have any suggestions let me know. :)

How long was the bus ride? The bus ride to Bangkok is about 6-7 hours depending on the traffic.

Did sister Grover get her visa stuff done? What kinds of visa things do you have to do after you get there? She got it done. Im not really sure what it is we do. They have it all organized so we just sign where it is highlighted. Then we go and hand people some money and they take our picture and sign a few things and send us on our way. Its way fast except for the waiting for your turn part. That took forever. Ha ha

Bus ride to Bangkok. Fun... Or not. Ha ha way boring. As a missionary you can't really do anything to entertain yourself. And reading with how crazy the buses drive... Not a good idea.

Bang Khen!!! Oh how I miss it! That is my investigator that got baptized! :) The best part about being born in Bang Khen is I can go back and stay there every transfer meeting and I know my way around Bangkok. Ha ha I even told the taxi driver no go this way it is faster!

Que Pasa

The bus ride back to Khon Kaen. The other Elders had to go back to Ubon because our new DL didn't know he was moving. So he had to go back and get his stuff. Transfers... Ha ha