I felt like one of those important people receiving a giant check while accepting the fruit basket. Week #48

Hello everyone! Another great week here in Bang khae. It was a little crazy though... I don't even know what happened.

We had a surprise mini MLC training that we had to go to Asoke for. It was actually pretty inspirational. I think it is really going to pump up the mission for May and our goal of 4 baptisms a companionship. I have no doubt after that training that it is possible. I am so excited for the coming month and the many miracles we are going to experience! The miracles have already started her in Bang Khae. 

Last Sunday we had this women show up who Sister Lamb (the sister I replaced here) had invited months ago. She has an 8 year old son who is adorable and he loved church yesterday! They are both scheduled to be baptized next week. Yesterday, another women and her 15 year daughter came to church and they also felt really good. They are also preparing to be baptized. There are just so many miracles raining down on us right now. We had 114 people in sacrament meeting yesterday. I think there were only 2 empty chairs! The announcement of the temple has increasingly hastened the pace of this great work. I am so grateful to be a missionary here right now and be part of it! 

This week we also got to teach police men English. We went to the police station and had a class in their conference room. That was pretty fun. They wanted to pay us and we tried to get the money donated to charity but they wouldn't do that. The compromise was they gave us a big basket of their best mangoes. I felt like one of those important people receiving a giant check while accepting the fruit basket. 

Having a greenie also brings some fun things into the work. Like all the creepers that just fall in love with how adorable she is. I have never had so many men call our phone confessing their love and wanting to be with us. Im not sure whether it is more funny or annoying. The Elders recommendation, record silence and set it as the ringtone. That would be one solution to the frequent phone calls.

As I was studying the scriptures this week, I read in the bible dictionary about faith. These are some of the pieces that I liked:

"Confidence in something or someone." Faith is not only a belief in God. I thin we must also have confidence in ourselves to be able to have success in our goals.

"Miracles do not produce faith, but strong faith is developed by obedience to the gospel of Jesus Christ. In other words, faith comes by righteousness." We must have exact obedience in our lives in order to bring the results of our faith.

"True faith brings miracles, visions, dreams, healings, and all the gifts of God that he gives to his Saints." If we have true faith we can have a vision (not only meaning a dream) but we can know what we want and how to get there. If we create a vision, through our faith we can witness the miracle and success of that vision.

Being a missionary here in Thailand I have learned a lot from our mission president President Senior. I have never seen anyone better at creating a vision and a process to get there. Everyone should take the challenge and create a vision for yourselves, for your lives. Figure out what it is you want and the process you need to begin to get there. If you work hard and are obedient to the process, you will experience the miracles God has in store for you. Have the faith to get there!

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

-Sister Nethercott

 The giant snail that came out while it was raining...

 The most adorable baby in the world!

My favorite people.

 It took a few tries to keep a straight face... 

Teaching the police men and receiving mangoes!

 Teaching the police men. I think Sister Beckstrand got proposed to during the class. Ha ha

The papaya salad I made myself...

And my greenie eating her first papaya salad like a boss!

 Pineapple. (Which sister Belnap got me addicted to).

CRAZY Water Fight! Week #47

Hello everyone! An interesting week here in Thailand. Ha ha national water fight... makes being a missionary a little difficult. I am happy to announce I made it through all of the week long holiday with only getting one hand wet! (Other than the p-day we spent playing with everyone).

During this lovely holiday, no one is in town. Everybody leaves town and goes somewhere else. So the work was... well a little more slow going than usual.

For last p-day we all went to, well I am not really sure where it is exactly. I think maybe in Asoke? We went to this square to play with the water. It was way fun! The closest I have gotten to swimming in a long time. It was also fun because members and missionaries from all over Bangkok were there too. It almost felt like a church activity. Ha ha. I was able to see some of my friends from my greenie area in Bang Khen. So fun! As the week went by, I learned it was not so fun. Ha ha there was nobody to contact, nobody to teach... So we went to visit the house of our RC. Well that may have been one of the scariest moments of my life. We didn't know where it was because we had never been there before so we took a taxi (thank goodness). We turned off the main road in Bang Khae to head towards his house. There is a small river that runs down the side of that road... When there is water during a water fight holiday, well that is where the action happens. Sooo many crazy people doing many crazy things! They surrounded the taxi and tried to open the doors and get the "farrang" girls out. (For those of you who don't know, farrang is what they call foreigners here). So I literally tried ducking down and hiding to help the taxi make it through the crowd of people surrounding the car to get the farrang girls out to play in the water with them. It took a little longer than expected to finally make it to the RCs house. By some miracle, when it was time to leave his house, his son and his wife were leaving too. They were able to drive us back out of the neighborhood safely. It was quite the experience though.

Then Thursday was transfer day! I now have what we call here a luug! (Luug means child). She is so great! Her name is Sister Beckstrand. She is from Texas. When all of the new greenies were up in front introducing themselves, I pointed and said I want that one! And well, I got her! Ha ha. But really she is so great. She is already pretty good at the language and she is so friendly and talks to everyone! This is going to be the easiest training experience ever!

Sister Belnap, my last companion, is also training! She only had one transfer outside of being a greenie. She is honestly the best missionary I know though. Her greenie is so lucky to have Sister Belnap as a trainer. They are going to kill it out there in Ubon!

Now for the highlight of the week. It was one of the best days of the mission! There is this farrang man who is an RM from here 40 years ago. He lives here with his Thai wife and they go to the international branch in Asoke. We were invited to their house this week to plan this English thing we are doing and to eat lunch. They had cheese! They fed us some Vietnamese food which was delicious and then asked if we wanted cheese! They not only let us eat a bunch of their cheese at their house, but they gave us a big brick to take home! Cheese is really expensive here in Thailand (at least for a missionary budget) and we never get to eat it. And the greatness of the meal didn't stop there. The adorable Thai wife starts cutting mangos and starts explaining that they have 3 mango trees. She said while cutting mango after mango, "I don't know how to deal with this problem." I wish I had that kind of problem! Ha ha

This week I was able to have a reconfirmation that Heavenly Father answers our prayers. Saturday night the Elders called and asked us to open the church for them because they don't have keys. They needed to get their food for Sunday. So we walked over and the door would not unlock. All of us tried time and time again. So we thought maybe if we tried a different door. After no success I decided that if we prayed, the door would unlock. So as my district leader walked back to the main door to continue trying to unlock it, I prayed. I then walked over and asked for the key. First try with no resistance, the door opens. 

3 Nephi 13 it reads:

7 Ask, and it shall be given unto you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. 8 For every one that asketh, receiveth; and he that seeketh, findeth; and to him that knocketh, it shall be opened.

I know that if we pray, if we ask, it will be opened. Heavenly Father does hear and answer all of our prayers.

I love you all and hope you had a great week!

-Sister Nethercott

 Transfers... Saying goodbye . . .

... and saying hello.  

Sister Belnap and I got our new companions old companion. Is that how you explain that?

The nicest place I have been since coming on my mission. Their bathroom soap smelt nice and they had towels to dry your hands!

 

The view across the street of the nice house. 

 My new cactus! (I left my old one in p-lok with Sister Alley.... Who killed it!

 Just a taste of what songcran is like... Sorry I really don't know how to spell it in English.

 You might be able to find me in some of these... If you look really close. Ha ha

Crazy...

Transfers coming Week #46

Hello everyone! Another great week here in Bang Khae... Or Bangkok. I feel like I was barely in my area this week. We had MLC and then we had to go train the different districts I feel like I was in Asoke more than Bang Khae.

So today through Wednesday is a country wide water fight. So things are going to be a little crazy. We have to be home before dark and EVERYONE is out of town. But today we get to go join in some of the water activities so hopefully it will be fun! But doesn't that just prove Thailand is the best country ever! A country wide, week long water fight.  Ha ha

Because of the events that will come this day I don't have much time to write. 

This week we got to watch conference! I love conference! And man was it a more smooth peaceful experience than in the fall. I swear everything just kept distracting and postponing us missionaries from watching conference last fall. But this time, perfect. And the talks were so good! I don't even know where to start. Probably the best part would have to be the announcement of the TEMPLE IN THAILAND!!!!!! Ok I am still really excited about that. Also, it was great hearing an Apostle, Elder Anderson, recognize the stake president of the Bangkok North Stake. He really is a great man and does great things here in Thailand.

To be honest my favorite talk might have been from the Priesthood session given by M. Russell Ballard. Maybe because he spoke to/about missionaries. I guess it was easy for me to see the relation to my life. But I love how he spoke about raising the bar. Also, Elder Kevin W. Pearson's talk about enduring to the end was really good. Because its true, enduring doesn't mean waiting for the end. It means actually applying the gospel and serving others the way Christ would until the end. 

So yes it was a good week here in Thailand. I hope you were all able to watch conference. If not, go back and read it. It is so good! So full of personal revelation for everyone!

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

-Sister Nethercott

 This is going to be our last week together... :(  Maybe if everyone prays really hard, President Senior will receive inspiration to keep us together another transfer.

This house reminds me of villa villa coola on Pippi Longstocking. Ha ha

Mom, look what I found here!!! I've restrained from purchasing but I think giving in will be coming too... But that would also mean starving... Haha

 Do I really serve in Bangkok?

This is how we do conference.

 Sister Rak invited all 8 of us over for dinner on Thursday! It was delicious.

These Young Single Adult Recent Converts help run this branch! They are preparing for missions. They serve as branch missionaries, librarians, YSA activity coordinators and leaders, Sunday school counselor, sacrament- blessers, fellowshippers, home teachers, and still have time to serve in many other ways!

TEMPLE!! Week #45

Sometimes stubborn pays off.
All I can say is TEMPLE, TEMPLE, TEMPLE!!!!!!! 

But really I can't even remember anything else that happened this week. I am technically emailing from temple grounds right now. I am at the mission office for MLC (Mission Leadership Conference). So P-day is getting cut short. But what would be a better way to cut it short than preparing for this temple!

I still haven't watched conference, that will happen here in Thailand next week. But the news of the temple started spreading last night after us missionaries had all gone to sleep. Some of us didn't even wake up to the phone call (that would include myself even though they called 3 times at 1 in the morning). So I imagine some of you are wondering if we knew before? No! We hoped. I honestly thought they wouldn't announce it until next conference. But we have worked so hard for this temple. It is such a relief to know the work  had paid off! But all it means is we have to redouble our efforts to prepare Thailand for the TEMPLE! 

I guess  one highlight of the week would be this. I am not sure how many of you have seen the movie the other side of heaven but I used it as inspiration. We went and visited one of the relief society counselors to help her feel more involved in what the missionaries were doing and help her feel supported. While at her house we learned she has a husband who is not a member. We invited him to join us when we shared a scripture but he was unwilling. So after sharing the scripture I pulled out my family pictures and showed the relief society counselor. I then walked over to the other side of the room where her husband was trying to hide from the spirit. I showed him a family picture at the temple and talked to him about how grateful I am for an eternal family. After that we were going to leave with a word of prayer. I again invited him to join  and he did! Their little granddaughter they were watching picked me to say the closing prayer. I pretty much just coppied what I learned from the movie The other side of Heaven and I taught the plan of salvation in my prayer. I guess the fact that he came and joined the closing prayer with us was a miracle for  him. I have plans to go back and try and share more of the gospel with him. He has 3 adult kids who are also members of the church. His wife wants to go to the temple. Now that they are building a temple in Thailand maybe we cant get him on board!

Anyway, miracles are still happening here in Thailand. The announcement of the temple is proof of it! I know this church is true!

-Sister Nethercott

Sorry this is all for the week... Not too interesting