Miracles Happen! (hopefully you all know that song ha)

This week was rough in terms of my health. I got super sick, probably the sickest I've ever been in my life...so that wasn't too much fun. But we still managed to see miracles.

One day as we were heading home, me and Sister Orchard got the impression that we should just stop by this food market really quickly. So we got off our bikes, and literally the place was pretty empty. The only people there were the merchants, and they were all packing up. So we just took our time walking up and down these aisles of merchants, and we were at one of the last rows when this lady yells out to us. So we go over and talk to her and end up committing her to baptism right then and there! Her name is Nii. And we have met with her everyday since then. And she said that the reason she called out to us was that she felt that we had something important to tell her. So cool right!!!! And now we have it planned that she'll be baptized next week! The Lord truly prepares people to receive the gospel.,

And here's my spiritual thought for the week:

President Uchtdorf said: "The more we devote ourselves to the pursuit of holiness and happiness, the less likely we will be on a path to regrets...Let us resolve to be happy, regardless of our circumstances."

Though this was a rough week for me in terms of health, I still saw the fruits of my efforts as I tried to find souls to bring to the Lord. So although I feel pretty weak right now in terms of physical ability, my spiritual strength has only increased, and I'm so happy we found Sister Nii at that market where we felt prompted to stop!

Hope everyone at home and at BYU are doing well!! I love hearing from you all!

love always,

Sister Lam

ps. sorry no pictures this week!

Thai Iron Chef

So I would have to say, one of the funniest things I experienced this week was when the youth here invited us to participate in their "Iron Chef" cook-off activity. They chose me to be one of the judges, and ya...I got to eat some interesting food. Bless their hearts though, they tried their best making European food haha. Basically I ate spaghetti with like a Thai sweet chili sauce...don' think they really know what goes on spaghetti. haha But they got the noodles rights! Ya...I ate a lot of weird things, but it was just such a fun time spent with the members.

Youth Iron Chef activity

 This is Brother Noy (he loves the spotlight ha and I really think he should be on tv)

And that is something I've learned a lot about this week: our relationship as missionaries with the members where we are serving. So I think before coming out here, I didn't really realize the importance of members in the conversion process. But rarely will we teach an investigator without a member present. The reason for this is, yes although the missionaries are the ones who teach the lessons, the members are the ones who help fellowship and experience with the investigators! Missionaries get the investigators to church, but it's the members that keep them coming to church. And this week we worked a lot with the members to see what we could do to help them more in this process so that our investigators really felt like they were coming home when they come to church and really as they come unto the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Baptism of Brother Saw (he's the cutest little tuk tuk driver I've ever met!!! He was one of the Elder's converts, but I needed to snag a picture because he is just so humble and cute!)

At home, I heard about the Stake Conference theme, which was centered all around hastening the work of salvation. It has become so much more evident to me how Satan is working to corrupt the most innocent things. All in all, everyone has their own agency to choose right from wrong, good from bad, but we should help make the choice easier by showing them the good that is right in front of them in the gospel of Christ! Don't be afraid to offer a helping hand or serve anyone because these are missionary moments most of us tend to overlook. People can tell there is a light about you just by the simple ways we act and we serve!

Brother Don, Sister Jaa and me :)

Elder Robert D. Hales said: "We need not be afraid if we are grounded in His (Jesus Christ's) Doctrine."

And this is a quote I love from President Henry B. Eyring, and I hope we all take this counsel. "Every covenant servant of His within His kingdom on Earth and in the spirit world will receive His guidance by the spirit as they bless and serve others for Him. And they will feel His love and find joy in being drawn closer to Him."

I think that this is just an incredible promise from our Savior. As we strive to serve others not for us but for Him, I know we will truly see the blessings.

 This is Sister Kat, one of the recent converts in our Branch. (She bought me a panda keychain cuz I'm Chinese hahahahaa)

This week we also had some trials as a member here traveling from Roi Et lost her mother here in Ubon. We had the opportunity to teach her mother, a nonmember, before she passed. And it was truly inspired how the words of comfort and peace flow from your mouth when you are trying your best to rely on the Lord. I know that she now has the opportunity to learn and accept the gospel in the spirit world, but it was still a sad thing to teach someone one day and have them enter the Lord's hands the next. But this experience just solidified my testimony of the plan of salvation and the truthfulness of our gospel. 

This is Sister Fern, one of the youth who is such an amazing help and teacher when it comes to helping investigators! She is going to be an incredible missionary some day!

Another cool thing I got to do was give a talk during sacrament meeting...ALL IN THAI!!! ya...I got the news on Saturday, which left me very little time to prepare, but I managed with a lot of prayer to give an understandable talk in Thai ha. I think everyone was impressed at my reading from the scriptures in Thai...little did they know, I practiced reading those verses (Moroni 10:4-5) A TON with Sister Orchard so that I wouldn't mess up come Sunday. Granted...probably shouldn't have made it look like I was such a good reader because then they called on me to read from the Gospel Principles manual in Thai during Sunday school....and ya that went rough. But it was funny :)

K sorry for the obnoxiously long email. I guess I didn't realize how much we did this week! I miss you and think about you in my prayers daily! Trust in the Lord, and He will bless you!

Love always,

Sister Lam

They Just Love Sports Here...and Food :)

This week was so fun! I had my first switch-off ever, and I was left to lead the area because Sister Bentley came here to Ubon...no pressure. But it went great! We met a ton of people contacting and I learned a lot from her. It's always nice to get a different point of view on things even though I love Sister Orchard (my companion) to death.

Some Ubon members and Sister Orchard!

This week we also had "Sports Day" in Sisagate. So all of the branches in our zone traveled to Sisagate to participate. It was basically a huge stake activity, but the Thai people go all out I'm realizing. There was SOOOO much food, a huge outdoor stage set up, dancing, singing, a ton of activities..it was basically a riot. And it was ALL DAY in the sun...so ya me and Sister Orchard were pretty drained.

 Me and Sister got matching hoodies for sports day to show our unity!

So some things I learned this week...street contacting is hard!!!! And we do this thing where we invite people to be baptized right off the bat as soon as we meet them. It's really fun, but some days it's just challenging to find people who are ready and willing to learn. So in my personal study and happened upon this scripture, which just really helped lift my spirits during the times where I just feel discouraged that people don't immediately jump for joy at the sound of baptism:

"Whoso believeth in Christ, doubting nothing, whatsoever he shall ask the Father in the name of Christ it shall be granted him; and this promise is unto all, even unto the ends of the earth." (Mormon 9:21)

This is me and Sister Blaay :) She got baptized on Sunday!

Group photo before Blaay enters the waters of baptism!

Again and again I'm realizing, it all just comes back to the faith we have in our Father in Heaven and in His son Jesus Christ. When I get discouraged or feel beaten, I know it's because I let my faith waiver. But I know Heavenly Father wants to use me to bring His children the knowledge of the Gospel. So my message to you, STAY FAITHFUL! and the Lord will truly bless you as you do things in line with His will. AAAHHH I just love this gospel so much guys!!! I want everyone to love it just as much as I do!!!!!!

Me and 3 cute ladies in our ward (the 2 around me are sisters and the one on the end is their mom, and they LOVE the missionaries!)

Well that's all for this week! I miss you guys!! Keep sending me updates!!! I love hearing from all of you, and though you may not believe it, you all really lift up my spirits when I read your emails!

Love,

Sister Lam

The Beginning of a New Year!

It has been a challenging week. We ended up having to travel to Bangkok for this meeting Sister Orchard needed to attend, and it really just took a lot out of us. It's a 9 hour bus ride...and then I went out with some other sisters to contact people...and then back on the bus for another 5 hours, with a pitstop in Buriram to help train other missionaries in our zone, and then another 5 ours back to Ubon...

Me and my companion and our 2 zone leaders

Safe to say, my body is really not handling things very well and I'm just exhausted!!! But as I've turned to the scriptures in my studies, these verses have really lifted my spirits:

"The Lord God showeth us our weakness that we may know that it is by His grace, and His great condescensions unto the children of men that we have power to do these things." -Jacob 4:7

"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; But of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." - 2 Timothy 1:7

"As much as ye shall put your trust in God even so much ye shall be delivered out of your trials, and your troubles, and your afflictions." - Alma 38:5

"For after much tribulation come the blessings." -D&C 58"4

Never have I ever really felt this lost or kind of down I guess. But I know Heavenly Father is giving me trials to make me stronger. Sure, my body isn't quite functioning as it usually does, and my companion may not keep me in the loop with everything, and I may still be terrible at the language, but Heavenly Father knows what I can handle, and these trials are just some of those things. 

Got to ride a ferris wheel in Thailand!!

Since being a missionary, I've learned so much about Fear, It really is the opposite of faith. And as I have decided to throw that fear away and rely on the Lord, I have really seen blessings. Though this has been one of the most frustrating weeks of my life, physically and emotionally, Heavenly Father threw me a miracle!!! Her name is Pintip! I wish I had a picture to show you! But she walked into the church the other day and just asked to learn more about Jesus Christ....ya miracle right?! And so I invited her to come to church on Sunday, and she showed up and stayed for the full 3 hours and for 2 baptisms, aaaaand she let us teach her afterwards!!! And this was the first lesson I got to lead since being in the mission as a "greeny." So it was pretty rough, but I think she could tell how hard I was trying and how sincere I was with the message of the restoration because it's something that I truly believe in. (and lucky for me, she speaks pretty good english haha) And today she agreed to come with us to a member's house for an FHE activity!!! I have so much faith in this girl. She is so solid, and I know that she is one of the elect that Heavenly Father has prepared for me to teach! So keep her in your prayers and pray that she gets baptized!!!!!

Me and one of our recent converts Sister Bui

And I found out the other day that I'll be going on switchoffs, which means I will be going to a different area and will have a new companion for a day or 2...so more traveling, but I think it will be fun and will give me a chance to learn from another sister.

Well that's all I got for now! Miss you all!! Keep sending the emails!!

Love always,

Sister Lam