heyyyyy!
this letter might be a little scatter-brained...a lot has been going on! And it feels like all the work is just flooding in right at once and we're trying to be organized enough to keep up with it. oh and one thing i forgot to say last time...i ate the spiciest food i think i have ever eaten since being here. we went to a members house, and her mom loves us so she made us somdam (papaya salad, usually really spicy, but SO good). Usually the most peppers i've had in it is 2 or 3. so last sunday, when we were crying and dying as we ate it, we asked her how many pricks she put in it....TEN. ouch. my digestive system had fun with that one. but now at least i have added to my bragging rights. haha
we had zone conference this week, and it was SO good. the theme was true conversion. it really made me stop and think. what is conversion? it's so much more than just knowing and having a testimony. it's about BECOMING. and it's made me look at repentance in a whole different way. there's such a stereotype to repentance, that it's this huge scary thing, that it's only for when we make mistakes or do something bad. but it's such a wonderful gift! without repentance, we would never be able to change or to become better. sometimes i forget that the whole purpose of this life is to prepare to meet God, and even better, to eventually become like Him. everyone always asks 'when was your conversion?' And now i can honestly say that it has been on my mission that i have seen myself becoming truly converted to the Lord. rather than just knowing, i feel like i'm actually becoming a new person, and it's all because of these awesome people and the miracles i see from God. there is a member here, Bro. B, and on the 2 days that he has off from work, he will literally spend every minute with us, helping us teach, find new investigators, find and visit LA's, etc. He even took our tires to get fixed the other day (yes, another flat tire..). he's the perfect example of what it means to be a 'member missionary.' seriously, i think he works harder and gives more than most missionaries do. i want to be a member like him when i get back.
the first investigator that we started with here in Korat got baptized yesterday!!! it was such a great day. 4 of our investigators came to church, so they got to see the baptism. Bam was SO happy, and she couldn't even express in words how she felt, just that she was happy. It's been an amazing 3 months of teaching, growing, and learning with her, and now she's baptized! i'm so excited that she gets to have the gospel in her life. everything was perfect about yesterday, except for that the ward pianist didn't show up, so guess who got to play the hymns...yep me. i had to play the sacrament hymn out of 'hymns made easy'...oh how shameful. sorry mom, for never listening when you told me to "get more hymns under my belt."
it's been raining pretty much every day here. and if you know me well you now i really don't like the rain, because it's depressing, and wet, and dumb. but all we can really do is laugh as we ride around getting soaked, riding through 6 inches of dirty muddy water. sister stack lost her shoe in this huge puddle one day, so we spent a while wading around looking for it.
well before this letter becomes a novel, i will say goodbye! i love you all!
sis. steele
 |
| Sister Steele & Sister Stack after Bam's baptism |
No comments:
Post a Comment