The beautiful Kingdom of Thailand is full of life and love.
Cool things that have been happening:
1) The floods are rising. Missionary work gets more fun as we just have to embrace being soaked. When you go down into the subway stations, the hallways are full of people sitting along the walls, just packed, waiting for the rain to stop. It was a vibe like there was a zombie apocalypse going on outside.
2) I was trying on President Johnson's cool new nametag in the office and forgot to take it off before we went out inviting. I was introducing myself and a guy was staring intently at my nametag so i lifted it up a little to read it out for him and as i started saying "chamberlin" i stopped myself and just laughed haha. So i just rolled as "President Johnson" until we made it back to the office. Many were impressed that i was a president at such a young age haha.
3) Sister Green (her nickname) is the missionary that just came home from Temple Square the same time as bekah- she balled out on her talk/testimony in sacrament. Way powerful and real. She praised bekah and how she was an amazing leader, full of love. She also sent some love from home (esp. from mama C <3)
4) PLOT TWIST- Elder Bunker moved to Ubon (way on the far-south-east side of thailand) to be a Zone Leader over there. He is with an old comp of his, and the two of them together are training a new missionary that just came into the mission late too haha way sick. Two of the greatest missionaries as trainers together. That missionary scored. And my new companion is Elder Joyem- familiar? It should be haha because he is my son- i trained in Korat. We are just making history here, father and son as the Assistants haha. The last Thai to serve here in the office was the AP when i came into the mission. His name is brother Kris, and he was the one that baptized Elder Joyem. Pretty cool...
5) It's amazing to me how much I love the King of Thailand. People from other countries will probably never understand his important role in the Thai peoples' lives. He is like their father figure. Just an amazing man. There is 30 days of mourning happening where everyone wears black and if you work for the government you wear black for a year.
6) President sent Elder Bunker and I down last week to Phuket to visit the group of 15 or so members there. The flight was literally magical- so beautiful. We spent all day saturday visiting the saints and it was amazing see their faith. We asked the group leader if he would like us to share anything in sacrament meeting and he said "sure, we'll have you and Elder Bunker share your testimony", so we're thinking sweet. He had me bless the sacrament and Elder Bunker pass it. And then after the sacrament, with 45 minutes left in the meeting, he got up and said "we will have two speakers today, Elder Chamberlin and Elder Bunker." We slayed it. Or really God slayed it because the spirit just guided from one scripture to a quote from a gen conf. talk, to an experience when i was young, to a testimony for the 20+ minutes i spoke haha. At church we had 3 LAs at church that we had visited on Saturday and came back to church for the first time in a year, and 4 investigators. 2 that we have been teaching, and 2 others were friends with one of the investigators whom we also taught on saturday. 1 of them has a date to be baptized this sunday. miracles- the fire for missionary work is alive even in deep in the south where there are no missionaries.
I often think how blessed i am, and feel a little like Alma:
"Let us glory in the Lord; yea, we will rejoice, for our joy is full. Behold, the Lord… said, bear with patience thine afflictions, and I will give unto you success. Yea, we have traveled… relying upon the mercies of God. We have entered into their houses and taught them, and we have taught them in their streets; yea, and we have taught them upon their hills; and we have also entered into their temples and their synagogues and taught them... that perhaps we might be the means of saving some soul; and we supposed that our joy would be full if perhaps we could be the means of saving some. Now behold, we can look forth and see the fruits of our labors; and are they few? I say unto you, Nay, they are many; yea, and we can witness of their sincerity, because of their love towards their brethren and also towards us. And now behold I say unto you, has there been so great love in all the land? Behold, I say unto you, Nay, there has not. Now have we not reason to rejoice? Yea, I say unto you, there never were men that had so great reason to rejoice as we, since the world began; yea, and my joy is carried away, even unto boasting in my God; for he has all power, all wisdom, and all understanding; he comprehendeth all things, and he is a merciful Being, even unto salvation, to those who will repent and believe on his name. This is my life and my light, my joy and my salvation, and my redemption from everlasting wo. Yea, blessed is the name of my God, who has been mindful of this people, [lost] in a strange land; yea, I say, blessed be the name of my God, who has been mindful of us, wanderers in a strange land. God is mindful of every people, whatsoever land they may be in; yea, he numbereth his people, and his bowels of mercy are over all the earth. Now this is my joy, and my great thanksgiving; yea, and I will give thanks unto my God forever."
the happiest missionary in Thailand,
