Mar 7: see you sisaket

suuuutyaaad sisaket

last monday: We had family home evening at the Sangviens house!! Do you remember them? The senior couple that I served with in Udon! They finished their mission and live here in Sisaket. <3 It was good fun. We played the joseph smith stick game... I ate a little octopus... And spleen. The spleen was horrid.

Tuesday: Elders were in charge on English night... It was pretty great... We watched Johnny Lingo.. hahahaha... The english words our students learned this week were "Johnny Lingo" "Mahana you ugly!" "8 cow wife!".... hahahhaha

Wednesday: Go to Tum's house.... Come to find out.. That her son Gii .. Has been reading in the BOM and praying everyday.. and we haven't even met with this guy! He is 13 years old.. And a modern day khon thai joseph samith. He also asked for a book of mormon to give to his friend.... What! so cool.... We biked to Blaaamii's house! Had a great review about the gift of the holy ghost! It was so cool.. We asked her to say the closing prayer.. It was the first time I've ever heard her pray for more than just happiness and good health. She prayed about the things we had taught about! Miracles. People becoming. growing. coming unto chirst.  

Thursday: We taught Buey and Ott the word of wisdom and law of chastity. Ott has a bit of a smoking problem... 10 cigarretes... everyday... But when we taught him... we started to suggest that we would help him quit by making a calender.... but he said no.... not so! That he only had 3 cigarretes left.. and that he'd smoke those... And then be done. Whoa. These people have such faith! 

Friday: Last zone training in Ubon!!! It was a little bitter sweet... It was such an awesome training! I felt so pumped! Missionary work is the best. It never ever gets old. They emphasized the training... on the need to STUDY BELIEVE LOVE LIVE & TEACH... In that order too.. When we STUDY we start to BELIEVE.. it becomes delicious unto us! so much so that we LIVE it because we really believe or we want to know it's true... because we had studied to know it... As we live it... We see the changes and the peace and the truthfulness of it.. We learn that it is commanded of us... So we must share it. We TEACH....... So it is pretty important to study. :) Go find out if it is a good seed.

Saturday: Taught Gii a full lesson for the first time! The plan of salvation! Whoa. His eyes sparkled as we taught him. He listened intently the WHOLE time. And excepted a date to be baptized.  His mom wants him to go buad... go be a monk before he is baptized.... so his date is a little out there. BUT we are planning to get her on board too. She just needs to get outta that buddist bidness. She believes in Christ and the things we have taught her.. But is trying to hold on to her beliefs at the same time. She hasn't put it all together to realize that... Buddhism is not true. Sister Kwak and I have a plan to send sister pet over to talk with her..... We call sister pet---> The Dragon. She is scary good. :) Favorite part of the day was visiting Buey and her daughter at the hospital. We visited with the ward mission leader and the relief society prez. Just sat and talked... I drew her daughter pictures.. while sister kwak made her oragami animals.. as she has been stuck at the hosptial for a week with no toys... There was such a special feeling there. It felt so good to just serve in such a small way. Buey is so excited to go skirt shopping and come on sunday! She also is excited to have her kids come and grow up in the church... Whoa. That was cool to hear. I won't see their baptism. But I feel so incredible grateful to have seen this beautiful family come unto Christ and to have seen the atonement work in their lives.

Sunday: Blaamii got the gift of the holy ghost.. And it was perfect. The elder's investigator Sister Boo was baptized. I was a speaker. I have learned so much. Baptism is so important and amazing! The evening finished with dinner at the bishop's house. Good last sunday in Sisaket <3

This may or may not be the last email as a missionary... We shall see about that! About that we shall see. But in the case that it is... I just want to share my testimony..

I know that the gospel of Jesus Christ is true. It changes lives. I know that God is our Heavenly Father. I know that he loves us. I know that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world. It is through following him only that we can have eternal life with our families. I know that the Holy Ghost is real. He is the cleaning and purifying agent. I know that this is God's work. I know that whether you have a badge on your chest or not we are all called to the work. It is the most important work we could ever do. I know that the Book of Mormon is true. I so love that book. I so love the gospel, Heavenly Father and my Savior. And I so love being a missionary. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Love,

Sister Coates

pics: me and that little octopus.. not the most appealing pic of my face... ha! chewy chewy chew

-bike ride through the wat...

Feb 29: L O O K

Happenings:

Sisaket has seriously just exploded with miracles. 

Last week i mentioned that we had been out adventuring on our bikes with we came across two different families... and I mentioned that I was so excited to see the miracles to keep coming from them.. And my word did they this week!

Tuk & Tum: We road past their house and asked if we could come back the next day to teach. They said yes. And we came back exactly when we said we would. And they were pretty open to what we shared. They accepted the challenge to pray! And then this week comes. And we go to visit. Sister Tuk is the one that has been to church before.. She said that she had tried praying and didn't really feel anything... But then later after talking with her.. She realized that she hadn't really been praying in a quiet peaceful place or with all of her heart. She told us she was going to go and try again. As for Tum.. She told us that she hadn't tried praying.. But that, that night when she was trying to sleep all she could think of was our faces and the things that we said. She was beside herself when we told her it was was the spirit. We have been over to their home 4 times now.. and every time we leave.. I feel SO good. I know that it is only a matter of time until they are baptized. They are going to be AMAZING members. In our last visit Tum told us that she started reading the book of mormon.. Actually she had her 13 year old son read out loud because her eyes are not so good. And pretty soon she fell asleep... BUT he kept reading. And wants her to take him to church with her.... OH.. my. :) During the entire lesson.. Gii (Tum's son) was sitting on the other side of the wall listening to what we were saying. So cool. When Tum saw him she told him to come in and listen. :)

Buey & Ott: Taught them the Plan of Salvation. Buey LOVED it. At the end... She said.. Wow I love this. And I understand so much more than I did last time! She told us that she prays everyday and again with her family. Ott reads the Book of Mormon and apparently sleeps with it in his arms!!! What on earth!? They accepted a baptismal date. And their 12 year old son sat close by listening to every word. Miracles miracles everyone. 

Usually we teach these two families back to back.. And while riding away down the beautiful sunlit Sisaket streets I feel like could be a missionary forever. 

Tuesday-Wednesday: Went to Roi Et to switch off! It was fun.. I got to switch off with Sister Larson who is in my same group. It was fun to see how she has become on her mission and to be able to talk about the craziness of it all. Roi Et is beautiful. I got a sweet sun burn. #bikedallday!

Taught Blaamii her last lesson before her baptism! Blaamii is a sweet 8 year old that has been waiting to be baptized for some time now. She turned 9 this past Sunday and was baptized! It was such a special privilege to have been one of the missionaries that got to teach her sweet little spirit. She is SO bright. In her testimony she said: "Ever since I came to church I started to know Heavenly Father. I know that He lives. The sisters taught me that we can repent. We ask for forgiveness and we don't do it again. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen." It brought tears to my eyes and a lot of others who were in the room. She is going to be a great influence on her family. 

Fun: Got to help some RCLA young women begin their personal progress.. I was so impressed with how well they responded.. as usually they are way rowdy and don't pay much attention when we come... It was an answer from hevaenly father that we needed to help them start their personal progress.. as they sat quietly and actually thought about the things we were sharing. Faith. We we only believe.. That is not faith. We need to act too. They got it. The spirit was there. 

I loved the first presidency message for the month of March. Go and read it. The aim is to INSPIRE.

From David O McKay "The kind of life you live, your disposition, your very nature, will be determined by your thoughts, of which your acts are but the outward expression. Thought is the seed of action. Character springs form the depths of the soul. You tell me what you think about when you do not have to think, and I'll tell you what you are."

Lift your thoughts. Better yet: 

D&C 

6:34 Therefore, fear not, little flock; do good; let earth and hell combine against you, for if ye are built upon my rock,they cannot prevail.

 35 Behold, I do not condemn you; go your ways and sin no more; perform with soberness the work which I have commanded you.

 36 Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not.

Oh God is so good. Sisaket is so lovely. We are working so hard. I feel bad sometimes because i'm more or less working Sister Kwak to the bone. She is such a trooper though I WAY WAY like her. Such a cool missionary. But I don't feel bad when I think about the senior companions I had that taught me what hard work really was. I gotta pass on that legacy. 

Onward pressing onward

with a triumph song we'll sing

God our strength will be

press forward ever 

called to serve our king

I love being a missionary.

Love,

Sister Coates

PICS: 

-Sister Kwak. Blaamii, and me! she is a beaut.

-doing personal progress. we're like this.

 Color smoothies of Thailand. Hello 35 baht. 

Green: Kiwi, avacado & banana. Coconut water!

Orange: Cantalupe, carrot, banana and pineapple. coconut water

Yellow: MANGO.... It's MANGO SEASON AGAIN!

Ride to the bishop's house. Sunday night dinner: massaman, pongkarii curry, kay yasai, and KHAW NIAW MA MUANG

 There was a cockroach. I was on duty.