monday:
PDAY. Our big adventure today was going to the Big C (aka Walmart minus
a few ghetto points and the fact that everyone here LOVES Big C... And
it has a food court... It is no where near as good as the street
food...) But yes. our BIG adventure was buying glorious peanut butter at
the BIG C. So fun! :) No FHE tonight because..... Hurricane Thailand
hit... ohhhh boy. :P
tuesday: Today was so
grateful for my district and for Brother Ronny! For our district meeting
we went to lunch at this WAY classy French Cafe... Reminded me of Blue
Lemon @ Home... It was so nice though.. I felt so sweaty and dirty...
Because.. Well I was sweaty and dirty haha.. I am always sweaty and
dirty. <3 Fun fact: My feet.. Are seriously always.. Just coated in
gross street dirt. All the time. And it's not just me either.. Sis
Jackson's feet are gross... Everyone's feet are just gross. <3 I love
it! Brother Ronny is a RC (Recent Convert- hopefully everyone is
getting used to this lingo haha)... He is SO nice. Sister Jackson and I
had, had a way long day... He called us and said that when we got to the
church to teach English - that he had something for us! He had bought
us pasta and Lasagna!! (They are OBSESSED with Lasagna here... It's
everyone's favorite hahaha)... So nice of him. He did it just out of the
random kindness of his heart! Oh he is so nice.
wednesday:
ORGANIZED our RC board... We have a huge wall in our study room that
has hundreds of pictures of the members in our ward... If anyone were to
come in our house and see this... They would probably call the police.
The RC wall is so fun though.. And so helpful! I love seeing all of
their faces smiling at me!
thursday: HAPPY
THANKSGIVING! Oh today was so happy... I was so grateful to the
wonderful Bruso family for inviting us over for dinner. Apparently there
is a restarunt somewhere in Bangkok that makes Turkey dinner all year
round... So they had everything ordered up! Turkey (was probably the
best turkey i've had in my life), sweet potatoes (*tearing up right
now*), mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, stuffing..... soo good.. I was
so thankful for them. It was fun eating with their family. It mad eme
think of my family and how grateful I am for them! I am so thankful for
eternal families... At the end of the night we all went around and said
something we were grateful for... Brother Bruso said something that made
think.. And made me want to remember.. He said: "I think sometimes we
ask for more things than we remember to be grateful for." I think about
life before mission and think of all I had been given.. And how I would
still want more and more.. Not really taking into consideration
everything i have! Here on my mission.... My prayers are taken up in
remembering ALL that I have been blessed in that day and in everyday and
every second! I could not do this without God's help and I am receiving
that and more everyday. Be thankful.
friday:
Had the sweetest investigator today. We stopped and invited her on the
street last week.. She told us today that she saw us smiling and thought
we were very kind so she wanted to meet with us.. Haha what whoa!!!
REMEMBER TO SMILE! While we were teaching her... We prayed.. And she
kept rubbing her arms.. And told us that she could feel something.. Cool
to explain that... That feeling she felt... Was the holy ghost... She
said she wants to learn more about the church before she decides to be
baptized.. Since she is a devout Buddhist.. but wow.. She was so
prepared and... She will be baptized. No doubt.
saturday: Okay today was awesome for like 50 million reasons... I am probably going to have to go into bullet points.... Okay:
-heard like 4 Taylor Swift songs! *almost cried it was so wonderful! :P
-Taught
an investigator that I had stopped and invited... Named Thaa.. He
accepted the date to be baptized in 2 weeks. HE IS SO NICE. And he works
out at the same gym that our RC Kwaan does- he knows her!!!!
Coincidence? I think NOT! mwahaha God is so good it makes me so excited.
I feel some fellow shipping coming on.
-We had stake
conference in Asoke!!! It was way fun seeing all these members come
together from the 3 wards. I love love love my ward. And it was way fun
to see Pres. & Sis. Senior! I love them both so much. They are so
awesome! President Senior can speak Thai- it's so fun to hear him speak
because since he had served his mission in Japan- He speaks Thai like a
Japanese hahah so cute! I can understand everything he says.. English
speakers phrase and use such different phrases and vocab than Thais! I
am thankful for the members who help me with my Thai.
sunday:
BIG stake conference at a hotel in Lumphini (the place where Thailand
was dedicated by President Hinckley!).. Wow.. Okay let me just put this
into perspective. There were 435 members who can to this meeting.
Majority of which were from Saphan Suung (my area). SO awesome. They
then announced the members who would be recieving the Melchizedek
priesthood that day... About 13 stood. EIGHT of which were from Saphan
Suung. THAT IS SUCH A BIG DEAL. Ah I love these people so much. And THEN
last but most definitley not least.. They called a new Stake Presidency
(today was a historical day in Thailand)... They call Brother Suuchan.
WHO IS THE SWEETEST MOST WONDERFUL MEMBER FROM SAPHAN SUUNG. Oh my word.
He is such a good man. And the conference was so good.....
Pres.
Suuchan didn't know that he would be called as a Stake Pres. until the
morning before.... And the week before.. Him and his sweet wife invited
the missionaries to dinner at their house! (not just any dinner
either... TACOS)... So we were able to spend his first night with him as
a new Stake President! Wow.. That was such a special experience. So
special. He is such a good good good man. He just gets it. He told us
his conversion story... He told us about how he never imagined that he
would have been married in the temple, an institute teacher... And now a
stake president... He said None of these things would have come to be
if he had not done his part. If he had not kept the commandments. He
told us that the first thing he wants to do as a stake president is work
on on retention. He says that next stake conference he wants to make a
goal to double the amount of people in attendance. He said this is SO
possible. The members just have to believe.. It is so true.. So.. True.
And we don't realize that as members. We won't bring people in all at
once... We need to follow the Savior's example by bring them in... One
by One... In a talk we had listened to during stake conference.. David
A. Bednar shared an experience of when he was the president of BYUI.. He
said that there were 12000 students (or members.. can't remmeber) on
campus.. And at the meeting he was in... there was only 250... He spoke
to those 250.... He said that in 2 days.. Henry B. Eyring would be
coming to speak to them.. And that he needed to be there on that day..
Men dressed in a white shirt, Tie, and suit coat. And the women needed
to be in a dress. He told them to write down five names down... Of who
they were going to go and invite to this fireside... he said to invite
them in such a way... They those 5 will... go and get 4... That those 4
will go and get the 3.. and that those 3 will get 2 and the 2 will get
1.. to come. And they did. He said that the day of the fireside everyone
on campus was wearing a dress and a white shirt and tie.. He said there
were multiple people who showed up to the campus and then went back
home to change because they didn't know what was going on... In the
meeting... There were more than the 12000... And it's because the 250
invited them to come... one by one... The group of well dress students
and people was such a sight that President Eyring leaned over to Elder
Bednar and said... What is this? And Elder Bednar said This is all for
you!
Ahh... Such a miracle story... A miracle
that can happen everywhere. I know that we will reach this goal of
having 950 people at the next conference. And we will and it will be
because of the members.. President Suuchan kept telling us... It is all
about the members. And it is true. As missionaries.. We are just here to
teach. To just be tools... The members just need to invite the people
they know... With a sincere heart... believing that we can and will
bring people back one by one... And it will happen! I believe it and I
want to challenge you all to believe it also-- ACT! Go do it. :)
Before
leaving the Suuchan's... He and his wife leaned over to me and told me
that I was serving an a amazing area.. He said that I was serving in a
wonderful area to begin my mission.. And that all the missionaries that
are born here.. Leave Thailand speaking fluent.. Ah... Him and his
family have all become very near and dear to my heart! And I don't even
think they know it.
Sorry this email is very
sporadic.. There is so much I wish I could tell you... There is so much I
wish I could show you! This place is magic.
More?:
-I
never thought I would ever say this... Those tacos we ate last night?
Were probably the most delicious thing I have ever had in my entire
life.. I almost cried while I was eating them... But then didn't want to
have to explain that I am a fat american at heart.... (the suuchan's
lived in Utah for a while so they are fluent in english and fluent in
making THE BEST FOOD EVER).
-this week sister
Jackson and I ate at this place with thought was Plooy's (a restaraunt
that the Elders have been raging about)... Turns out it was a bar... We
ordered cashew chicken... hahaha Instead be got cashews and bones deep
fried... We ate the rice, paid, and went a got somtam.. <3
-it's
way fun to see the shock on people's faces when you ask them if they
are interested in going to church... 1st they stare because a falaang
can speak their language and then it registers that what we are actually
asking them.. :) So fun!
I love being a missionary. I really really do.
It
is SO fun. I love my companion.. November was her last full month in
country and it was my first full month! So crazy. Today is her 2nd to
last p day...
This upcoming week is our Christmas party/meeting with the Seniors and all of Bangkok!!! <3 SO EXCITED!!! Stay tuned <3
Charlie is Beautiful <3
Don't forget:
One by One
Smile
CTR
Love all of you!
Sister Coates
GO AND WATCH THIS! AND THEN SHARE IT! #heisthegift
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