Uplifted!

This past week we had the amazing opportunity to get counsel from Elder Funk of the 70 and Elder Allen, the managing director of the missionary department! Only missionaries serving in Bangkok were invited to attend, so yes, I'm feeling so grateful that I'm serving in Bangkok!

Got to see some of my favorite members when we went to Asoke (my old area) for the conference with Elder Allen.

And seriously, this could not have come at a better time. I feel like lately our mission has been getting more caught up on baptismal numbers as opposed to truly converted souls..and that is exactly what Elder Allen counseled us on.

In our mission...we are really good at FINDING, TEACHING, AND BAPTIZING. But there in lies the problem. A lot of what we do is "cold" contacting, which means we just find people off of the street who are interested. Elder Allen counseled us that, yes, this is good, but these converts are the hardest to retain! And we have seen this these past few months as our number of less actives has increased. 

It is through our recent converts and members in the ward that we should be finding the majority of our investigators because then, that person already has a support system in the church. The low hanging fruit is right in front of us many times, but we have been looking for the hard to reach fruit! So many missionaries, myself included, sometimes think we can do it on our own. But we simply cannot do it alone AND do it well. And, there is no point to missionary work unless we hold on to the fruits of that effort! So when we baptize, it should be when the person is truly on the road to conversion, as we all are. 

I think many people here believe that if they are baptized they are automatically cleansed from sin and saved...that is not true! It is through enduring to the end that we truly can be saved in the kingdom of heaven. But these recent converts can be helped by both the missionaries AND the members as we work together. President Hinckley said that new converts need 1) a friend in the church, 2) a responsibility or calling, and 3) to be nourished by the good word of God. As we strive to hold on to the fruits of our effort, we must be willing to do what we can to support them!

So yes..I learned A TON! it was such an amazing conference that just really fired me up on working better with the members and seeking referrals from them! Our goal in the mission now is to not decrease the rate of baptism, but to increase the rate of conversion! And that can be better achieved as we work through and with our members!

I'm not super good at cooking...but I know how to throw a lot of stuff in a pot :) (get ready to eat A LOT of this family when I come home)

"If we look around with observant eyes and the motive of a caring heart, we will recognize the opportunities the Lord places in front of us to help others rise up and move toward their true potential." (Dieter F. Uchtdorf)

I love you all so much, and I am so grateful for this work we have all been called to do! Keep up the faith, and we can all help in building up the Lord's kingdom on the Earth!

love always,

Sister Lam

Me with the cricket I ate (from last week's email).