Sister Sawatdee: Jan 17 2016: hostility

Hey fam. Love you all.

Monday: Had an awesome FHE plan with RC's and Investigators! Get to Ubon's house.... And all the people we invited pid nat. couldnt come. It was okay though. Heavenly Father needed a little bit of strengthening for these wonderful members. Feeding lambs today was not His plan but feedin his sheep was. So we answered some of their questions about PRAYER. Oh which were.. How can I pray and avoid saying the same things over and over everyday? How can I get the desire to pray even when sometimes I don't feel like it?...... It was cool to talk about these things with them. I realized at how much knowledge and how big a testimony heavenly father has given be concerning this subject.... In short one thing that I felt to share was... Before praying. Remember who you are about to talk with. God the creator of the universe. Your Father. And remember who you are. The child of that being. I know heavenly Father loves it when we talk with him.

Tuesday: Brother Jack called us at around 12 and said.. Hey sisters I scheduled a meeting with one of my friends to learn with you today.. So if you could be there around 2:30 that'd great. Miracle. Miracle. Miracle. This is how heavenly father intends missionary work to be. The missionaries are there to help the members with their missionary work. If you want to help the missionaries give them someone to teach. And make them brownies.. haha just kidding.

Wednesday: Had a splendid lesson with Sister Noon! Oh she continues to impress me with her scripture reading.. And starting to make others at the church want to read more too. Guess who we met with tonight!? ROBYN! Oh is was so good to see her. And so cool to see Heavenly Father working in her life. I know she doesn't always see it. But it is so clear he is there for her.

Thursday: Had a cool meeting with Sister Johnson today. Oh. I love her! She is such a good friend and is filled with so much inspirational thoughts. Each time I talk with her I feel like I am talking with a mom and good good friend that really loves me..... This evening we had an appointment with Sister Saa.. We had planned to go over the Restoration with her..... And were able to do just that after she told us all the opposition she had been facing. Recently her relatives from America came to visit her here.. They had been so happy that she decided to start going to church and get baptized.. But when they found out she was going to the Mormon church they were SO mad.. And telling her that she could go to any church besides the Mormon one.. Telling her that the mormons just want her money and have all these too strict rules and how they are crazy..... And wow.. for a moment while listenin to all of this.. I just couldn't understand why people would be getting so upset! But then of course it dawned on me.. That obviously it was satan fueling the fire. And that those they really just didn't understand. They have never been to a mormon church... they've never taken the time to learn for themselves! Also a cool moment that I have had many times on my mission.... Was having the absolute unwavering surety and knowledge that all the negative opposing comments are simply not the truth. Sister Saa was WAY upset... But mostly because she couldn't understand either why they were bashing on something she loves so much and knows to be true. I was SO proud of her. She stood up for her beliefs. She is the most faithful person I know. She responded to us that night with: "Its okay sister! I am a child of god now!"

Push along! Pray for Robyn and Saa.

Friday: Another switttttch off. Ya! Both sistas came to our area again! Not going to lie. Setting up two full balanced schedules for one day is not an easy task.. But wow did Heavenly Father help sister rem and I. I had the opportunity to switch off with Sister Hoftman. It was a good day. The theme for the day was "Adam fell that men might be, and men are that they might have JOY".. We are here to have joy. Sports night: playing basketball with thai and pakistani people is the funniest thing on the planet. They go crazy. They have no concept of rules. Dribbling the ball? no no no. :)

Saturday: The Ellsworth planned a big burrito part with a big family of investigators... It was such a huge that day. Burritos and families. God is good.

Sunday: Palm to face moment. Elder Grange asked me to say the prayer before we left their house that evening... I decided to pray in English.. bad idea. I was trying to say "we are thankful for the Grange's hospitality" instead i said "we are thankful for the Grange's hostility".... Oh goodness. I need to practise english prayers!

Oh I know that the church is true. God is real.

I love being a missionary.

Love,

Sister Coates