Great moments of the week: The spirit is willing but the body is weak- so monday we took a rest from our labors and ping ponged it up with olympic champ brother gary isaac. Whatsup blake what you got boyyy- Gary is my idol- he's a 25 year old man stuck in a 70 year old body. This week he climbed a tree for us to prove it haha. When he cruises around on his scooter he reps this sweet doo-rag too hahaa i love this man. I was also proposed to this week too haha.
We did switch-offs with our missionaries in Bangnaa, so i was out preaching with Elder Young on Wednesday, and then we got back that night and as Bangnaa went home we switched off with our Bangkapi elders, and I went out with Elder Gardner, and then we all met back at the house that night and I went down to Samut Prakaan to switch off with Elder Bowmeester. The week was FIRED UP and way fun, but by saturday we were just wasted.
One really cool experience on thursday- we went to teach a 50 year old guy named Bay, and when we showed up to his place he was saying how his buddy was about to come over in a bit and then he would have to run errands and that he didn't really have time to meet. Determined we kept talking to him until i felt "just sit down with him and start teaching..." hahah. So feeling a little too bold, I sit down. We talk to him if he had been praying or read at all in the pamphlet we gave him from last time, and he hadn't. We start the lesson and begin teaching him about the Gospel, sharing this message of hope and peace, and we begin from Jesus Christ and faith in him. Inspired, we share 3 nephi 27:19-20 with him, and after he reads it he pauses and just says, "wow. what is that? that feeling, i feel like, so light and free and open... why do i feel so good and light?" We got to bear testimony of how God testifies of truth through his spirit, and we finished the lesson. He accepted to be baptized- and we left with smiles on our faces. Lesson learned- that there is no such thing as "too bold" as long as it is done with love.
Another time as we were leaving an FHE with an investigator from a members house... our investigator, golf, was just like "thank you elders, i'm so happy." A genuine remark of a truly happy dude- and it hit me as he said that, that this gospel is so great :) we are way blessed to have a loving heavenly father who leads us, guides us, and sent his perfect son to walk beside us.
A history making moment- one of my missionaries i switched off with is a stud! He is a super happy, loving, smart good dude, and way shy- and so his whole time while he has been here in thailand he has struggled talking to everyone. On our switch-off i never would have guessed this but he told me he had never gotten a single number from someone before... Our switch-off together was a day full of miracles. As we would travel place to place we would be talking to everyone on the street, on the buses, on the vans, on their motorcycles, in the 7/11 stores, etc. and sometimes i would be like "hey go knock on that persons car window and invite them" and though hesitant, he did haha. And so our first success of the day came as i challenged him to go invite this one dude smoking on the sidewalk and bear testimony that he can quit smoking through Christ. Hahaha it was such a great moment- he finally went and all i could see from where i was at was that the guy handed him his cigarette, and they kept talking... and then i walked up to support the words of my comp, and the guy ends up handing us all his cigarettes he had just bought, and then we handed them back to throw them away himself. Then my companion got his number- WOO! making history- hahaha afterwards he said, "Elder Chamberlin.... that was the first time i have ever touched a cigarette... in my life" I asked him how it felt, meaning how it felt to throw away the cigarette and he answered "it was squishy" haha... And then the miracles continued. We were inviting in this little indoor clothes market and as it was getting late i told him, alright elder, you have to get one more number before we leave this market. Scared that he might have to sleep in the market he mustered the courage to talk to a few people. We were there for a while until he successfully found someone whom God had prepared. He was way stoked, and i was way stoked for him. In all the switch-offs i was just so impressed by how awesome our missionaries are here. It also hyped me up for wanting to go out and train again- training is where its AT!
Some Elder Walker wisdom: "Satan's purpose is to try and prove that man is unworthy of the gift of agency" - let that soak in for a second. So he is gonna do everything in his power to get us to use our agency poorly. He is a bitter man that wants to prove to God that he was right- that we can't handle the agency to choose for ourselves, and make it back to his presence. Just a cool little thought for you.
We also hit up our neighborhood this last week, inviting and getting to know all our neighbors. It was different than the typical "hit the market and invite everyone to repent approach", and i don't know how effective it was but it felt good. Most of our neighbors have seen the elders a bunch of times and still don't who we are or what we share. It was nice having families, many of which are of chinese lineage, invite us into their homes and get to know their family. Some were more interested than others, but it was good and we will see this week as we go to dinner with some of them what results of our new approach ;)
I am healthy, happy, and having a blast out here in Ladgrabang with Elder Walker- it's crazy the transfer is already over this week. We're crossing the fingers for another transfer together-
It is true my friends that God knows us individually. He knows us and loves us, and is paving the way before us. I thank him for the opportunity to serve him for my short time here in Thailand- what an adventure. I love you guys<3
your boy in thailand, elder chamberlin
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| My comp and I fear no man. We stop vespas, cars, trucks and vehicles of all kind on the road to invite them. And yes, we have even gotten some investigators from doing so. The only vehicle we have yet to stop is a semi truck and a tour bus |
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| See, if it was mango season, i could scurry right up and pick all of your mangos!" |
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| We jumped in on a dance work out, and invited the participants |
