Thai'd Up for 18 Months: August 2015

Another great week here in Roiet! I seriously just love this place and my companion. It doesn't even feel like work anymore. Its just a series of fun days with my best friend. Yeah its still tiring but its so fun!

This week we met this really humble woman. We were actually trying to find this members house but were stopping and asking for directions. We ended up sitting down and teaching her. She had just gotten in a motorcycle accident a few days before and had bruises all over her. When we taught her, she was just touched by the spirit. She looked hopeful. She is really interested in baptism. The only problem is, we went back a couple times this week kind of had to start over each time because of whatever medication she is on. The Elders were able to come with us on Saturday when we visited her to give her a blessing. She looked so much lighter and happier after. It was quite beautiful actually. The only problem is she can't come to church yet because of the massive amount of pain she is still in. We can't even make it through the whole gospel lesson before she needs to just go lie down and go back to sleep. We have made it through faith and repentance 3 times now and to baptism just once. But I hope that after that blessing she will be feeling better and be able to come to church!

Then on Tuesday, we biked about 60 kilos. (Over 37 miles!) It was pretty far. But totally worth it because of the miracles we saw! We biked out to visit our RC's Pa Maa in the hopes to teach their family (who are always home). Well it turns out the time we bike out there their family is not there. So we decided to contact around their neighborhood. As we were riding down this street these girls stop and Sister Brown recognizes one from the contact picture in our phone. She was a former investigator. So they led us with their motorcycles to their house. We sat down and the family at that house along with their neighbors just gathered together. It was so cool! We got to teach them all and they just loved the things we were able to teach! After we went to another LA's house who has this 14 year old daughter who had been learning before. She had 3 of her friends there and her cousin. As we biked home we stopped at the LA man's house who moved back to Roiet because the bomb in Bangkok went off across the street from where he worked. The spirit was so strong in that lesson he was crying. At this point we were still pretty far out and it was beginning to get dark. All at once these storm clouds blew in and it poured buckets! We were completely drenched. But that was honestly an answer to a prayer. I had prayed that because we had the plan to bike so far it would be overcast but not rain. Once we got out to Pa Maa's they were saying they really needed rain to help with their rice crops. So in that lesson we prayed for rain to come that night. Well the rain came strong. The next morning it was still pouring and we called Maa. She was so amazed that we prayed for rain and it rained! She then asked for us to all pray for the rice to grow. It was adorable watching her testimony on prayer strengthen.

Its weeks like this where time just flies by. It was one of the most physically exhausting weeks of my mission and yet one of the weeks I wanted to last forever.

On Sunday we visited another LA. She is the one who cried as we shared that scripture with her and talked about temples and eternal families. She hung up the picture of the temple we gaver her last time we saw her. We felt bad when we showed up because she looked busy. But we shared the scripture in Mosiah 4: 6

" I say unto you, if ye have come to a knowledge of the goodness of God, and his matchless power, and his wisdom, and his patience, and his long-suffering towards the children of men; and also, the atonement which has been prepared from the foundation of the world, that thereby salvation might come to him that should put his trust in the Lord, and should be diligent in keeping his commandments, and continue in the faith even unto the end of his life, I mean the life of the mortal body—"

After reading this she asked if we had time to stay and keep reading for a while. So we did. Mosiah 4 is a good chapter. I recommend it. It has some of my favorite scriptures. I want to invite all of you to put your trust in the Lord. I know that as you do so, your life will improve. The hard things will feel endurable. The impossible things will be possible.

I hope you all know how much I love you!

-Sister Nethercott

It was an interesting... Pday. This member took us to a wat? Ha ha

Rice fields!

More from the wat

We found this random restaurant in the middle of no where. They were really happy to get some business. But we learned why people don't eat there. It ended with me sitting between 2 drunk men offereing me alcohol. "You can't date or get married right now?

I love you!"

Biking for days

Still biking Ha ha

I love the Thai people!!!!!

District in the rice fields

Biking

Adorable!

The neighboorhood we biked out to. I handed out some CTR rings.

So much has happened since I last wrote I don't even know where to start! Missionary life is just the best ever! OK...

So we went to Bangkok on Friday. That was... fun. The bus we were supposed to take broke down so they sent another one that came an hour late. That means our plans for taking the 6 bottom seats for just the missionaries was destroyed. We planned to leave at one and get into Bangkok around 8. Well instead we waited an hour at the bus stop. Then we took almost 12 hours to get to Bangkok. The bus was great too. It was playing this really annoying Thai comedy show for at least 5 hours of the ride. And then the bus started to smell like a porta potty (I don't know what happened with the bathroom) so one of the workers kept walking up and down the aisle spraying air freshener that probably smelt worse than the toilet. It was fun though.... Ha ha When we stopped in Korat for everyone to get dinner at the bus station, the chicken had cockroaches running around on it. So I went with a cup of noodle, 2 snickers and an ice cream for dinner. And people wonder why sisters gain weight as a missionary. But it was all worth it. Because after just a few hours of sleep we got to meet ELDER HOLLAND!!!!

We all came to the church and lined up for the picture. Then Elder Holland came in and took his spot. After we all got to shake his hand. I felt like he was staring into my soul! Later as he spoke he said that is exactly what he did. They used to interview the missionaries before the task force was over 88,000 strong. We lucked out with the best seats too. We walked in late to the room after using the bathroom and the only seats were these chairs set right up front on the side. Sister Brown did not want to sit there. But it payed off. As Elder Holland walked out after speaking he hit her on the arm and said work hard. It was great. I love Elder Holland. He really knows how to be himself in his calling. His sense of humor is great. But what I love most is his sincerity. He shared with us how much his mission meant to him and how we shouldn't miss it! We shouldn't miss a second of it out here because this is our only time.

Later that day we went and เที่ยวed JJ mall which is the biggest market in Bangkok. It was weird being there after such a spiritual high. It seemed so wordly. I don't know if we even enjoyed ourselves. Ha ha But after we got really good Japanese dinner with Sister Browns friends. It was a good day.

Then Elder Holland spoke to the masses. All the members from Thailand gathered in Bangkok. Unfortunatley just one representative from Roiet. But I got to see so many of my old friends (the memebers) from my old areas. I got to see my RCs and that they are still good and strong! It made me really happy! Being out of your area on Sunday is not fun. We couldn't buy food but we also couldn't store food either. And well we didn't have a microwave and the store didn't sell peanut butter so we were all pretty hungry. Then there was this bike for mom thing going on which shut down a lot of the roadsin Bangkok. So the buses wouldn't leave back to our areas until late. But we were blessed for keeping the sabbath because I got edible bus food! They gave us A&W chicken sandwiches. That does not ever happen. Blessings!

I am sorry this is getting long. So anways Monday was a working day. We went way to the boonies of the boonies to have "FHE" at a members house. That was interesting. When we got home we got a call from a freaked out Sister Herrmann saying a bomb went off in Bangkok. We hurried and called our ZLs who stayed in Bangkok because they just ended their mission this week and had all that dying missionary errand stuff to do. They let us know everyone was accounted for and no one was hurt. Apparently Elders that work in the office were heading there. They were 3 stop lights away and saw the explosion. 15 minutes later and.... The crazy thing is this stuff happens all over the world. For some people it is a regular occurence in their lives. There are a lot of Pakistan people here and that is what would happen around them daily before they moved to this country. I think it happens in southern Thailand a lot too. But to be honest, being up in Roiet we didn't hear anyting about it. Just from Sister Herrmann. But one good thing came out of it.

We were hunting down LA melchizedek preisthood holders. So we call up this one and show up at his house. He used to be the 2nd counselor in the branch presidency. Apparently he only reason he was LA is because he moved to Bangkok. He worked at a hotel right accross the street from the explosion. He was luckily inside but he said everyone outside got hurt. Because of the bomb he was able to come back to Roiet. And well, he came to church yesterday. :)

Pa Maa got baptized this week! They are so old and cute! I am shocked they remember anything about the gospel. We were filling out their reccords and couldn't even remember 2 of their children. After about 20 minutes of hard thinking they remembered them all. Ha ha When Pa bore his testimony he said, "I have washed my sins. I am of God now." It was great!

Then Sunday Gade got baptized! He was so ready. He is so dramatic though... Ha ha it was quite an experience getting him to Sunday. But through the whole thing his testimony was so strong and continually growing. I don't know if I have had an investigator more prepared than him. When he bore his testimony he talked about when he first came to church he didn't understand when people would say this know this church is true. He then said pounding his fist in the air, "I understand now. I KNOW this is the true church." It was so cool!

Ok I think that about sums up everything that has happened. Oh wait, transfers happened. But we didn't move! Which means we didn't go to transfer meeting. We get to stay together in Roiet! I am so excited about it! And now we have some new Elders. And we aren't over the Udorn zone which means we actually get to be in our area this transfer! I am so excited about that. Yay for being only over the Roiet zone! 12 sisters is cut down to 6. Now we can work!

Sorry I don't have time for a scripture. I just want to let everyone know that I know this church is true. I know that God is our Heavenly Father. I know Jesus Christ attoned for our sins. Now I give you Elder Hollands advice, if you don't know it. Talk to anyone you have to to know it.

I love you all!

-Sister Nethercott