I made it to the Celestial Kingdom! Week #62

So this was the first email we got, early evening our time. We immediately knew what it meant- that she was going to ride an elephant. (See week #38 by clicking on this link:
Elephants and the Glories of Heaven) I was hoping we'd get another email since she just sent pictures last week. Fortunately we woke up in the morning with a little more in-depth letter! 

Hey I get to enter the celestial kingdom today!!!! So I might have time to write you after the adventures are over. Sorry if there isn't time. :)

Love you!

-S. Cott

Hello everyone! What a great week! For some reason this week seemed a little crazy. We had a bunch of random meetings. But it was still so good!

Wednesday the แม่'s (moms... old ladies) of the ward took us around finding LA's. They are over 70 years old and they rode this motorcycle while we followed them around on our bikes. It was so fun! And super tiring to ride that fast. Ha ha One of the greatest experiences I had as a missionary happened that day. We went to this members house who is less active. When we first got there she was really closed off and didn't seem too excited to see us. We got her talking about the missionaries that taught her. She slowly began to open up. We asked her what it was that really interested her to get baptized. She talked about the plan of salvation and eternal families while opening up even more. Then Sister Brown shared the scripture in Mosiah 24:14 which says, "And I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage; and this will I do that ye may stand as witnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions." She was reading it aloud to us and then started crying. She couldn't continue to read aloud and finished reading it to herself. She sat and cried for a minute then looked of from the Book of Mormon and said, "I am coming to church this Sunday." I have never seen a scripture touch the heart of someone more than in that moment. The spirit was so strong. Sunday she wasn't able to come to church like she wanted but we went and visited her again. She seemed like a changed person. She was so happy and started telling us she started reading the Book of Mormon over again. We read from it a little with her and again the spirit was so strong. You could see the light in her eyes. It was amazing.

Friday we had a switch off with Korat. We left Thursday night to head over. Coincidently the elders planned a switch off there the same day. So we ended up riding a bus down together. When we got there, it was after ten and raining. The bus dropped us off on the side of the road with our bikes. We had no idea where to go. So we call up the missionaries, the elders were unwilling to meet us out there and gave poor directions (no suprise ha ha). So we called the sisters and got step by step instructions on how to get from the bus station to the house. Apparently the bus station was compleletly on the other side of town from where they live. So we drove around the entire city of korat in the dark cold rain. I am just glad that Sister Brown's and my original plans fell through of getting there at 2 in the morning. People say Thailand is hot... Well after P-log and then Bang Khae during the hot season, I have been really cold out here in Roiet of the Issan. I don't know how cold it actually is, but it does get really cold here! 

Today for p-day.... We rode ELEPHANTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So much fun! It was definitely worth the wait for this experience. We even got to ride a famous elephant (I guess it has starred in a few movies). Our driver had an awesome mustache. And our elephant tried to dunk us in the water. It was so incredibly fun! I stand by what I say about it being the celestial kingdom. 

Well I hope all of you had a great week!

-Sister Nethercott

No explanation of pictures but most are pretty self-explanatory.