From: Colby John Decker <colby.decker@myldsmail.net>Subject: 6 Months Down AlreadyDate: February 5, 2017 at 7:20:10 PM PSTTo: Robin Decker <Robinlynnd@gmail.com>Hello Everyone! This week has been good like usual. I passed my 6 month mark which was weird. It hasn't felt that long but it also has felt really long. I don't know how to explain it. Last P-Day we went to Ice Skate again at Future Park and it was cool. I'm not really good at it. But Tuesday, I had an interview with President Johnson and he's such a cool guy. He's like 6 foot 6 or something and said he played basketball with Michael Jordan sometime but idk. He was behind schedule so we had to take the toll way to get back home in time for English Class. I don't know why I like teaching English so much it's such a stupid language that doesn't make sense haha.
We got a new investigator named Brother Keem. He's another Cambodian who speaks Thai as his second language, so it's good to have someone else to translate some of the words he doesn't know. It's cool we're getting a lot of Cambodian Investigators.
A cool, weird thing that happened is we got a referral from some Elders in Bangbuatong about a former investigator that lives in our area. So we set up a dinner appointment with him because he really wanted to cook us dinner. We get there and he's not even there yet. He shows up late and than we sit down with him and he offers us wine haha. I couldn't tell what he was saying because I thought he was saying a Thai word for wine but he was just saying wai and didn't add an n so I was so confused. He starts making food and his daughter and son show up and they're super nice and not surprised that we were there. The food was good and they're a super polite family almost like too polite if there could be. They were really accepting of the Gospel and said they would read and go to church. They also had a dog named Charcoal and it's a mix of a Lab and Husky.
A miracle that happened is we had a bunch of appointments cancel on us so we were in Future Park and something told me to go up the escalator to the 2nd floor and we met Brother Tai and he had a new phone so that's why he wasn't answering. So we got his number and now can contact him. It's crazy how the Lord works.
Saturday, we met with Brother Tea, Brother Angkhan, and Brother Keem, and had like a little Cambodian squad. They're so cool. I'd be down to hang out with them after my mission cause they're that cool. But Brother Tea who just got baptized last Christmas keeps on inviting his friends to learn about Jesus and getting people to learn with us. They all have dates for baptism and it's such a blessing to have these people I get to teach. These people I teach are actually teaching me more than I teach. We're still teaching Sister Ice and she's slowly moving along. She's been an investigator for a long time.
We brought food over to the Vietnamese because they're sick. They're doing better. I met the Dad for the first time and his leg was hurt or something. We have to bring a translator with us every time we go but we met another guy who walked in on the lesson who wanted us to go to his house to see his 1 month old baby. So we went there and it's his wife and little cute baby there. He can't speak Thai but his wife could and during that lesson we had more people show up and we invited them to church and English class and it was so cool. So we're working a lot with the Refugees here and the Cambodians and Vietnamese. I'm really blessed to to be able to have this opportunity to teach them about the Gospel.
So this week during my personal studies I came across this story about faith in Alma 32:27-4327 But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words.
28 Now, we will compare the word unto a seed. Now, if ye give place, that a seed may be planted in your heart, behold, if it be a true seed, or a good seed, if ye do not cast it out by your unbelief, that ye will resist the Spirit of the Lord, behold, it will begin to swell within your breasts; and when you feel these swelling motions, ye will begin to say within yourselves—It must needs be that this is a good seed, or that the word is good, for it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to enlighten my understanding, yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me.
I love this story about faith. When you get taught the Gospel and hear about the truths and have the spirit testify to you it's true, your faith grows. Your desire to learn more and keep on having those good feelings increases and your life begins to change. But you first need to plant that seed or nothing will happen. If you don't exercise your faith, it won't get stronger. The seed, or your faith will lie dormant in you if you don't water it. You'll remember the feelings and the truth still because you can't ever forget that feeling but it won't grow.
41 But if ye will nourish the word, yea, nourish the tree as it beginneth to grow, by your faith with great diligence, and with patience, looking forward to the fruit thereof, it shall take root; and behold it shall be a tree springing up unto everlasting life.
42 And because of your diligence and your faith and your patience with the word in nourishing it, that it may take root in you, behold, by and by ye shall pluck the fruit thereof, which is most precious, which is sweet above all that is sweet, and which is white above all that is white, yea, and pure above all that is pure; and ye shall feast upon this fruit even until ye are filled, that ye hunger not, neither shall ye thirst.
43 Then, my brethren, ye shall reap the rewards of your faith, and your diligence, and patience, and long-suffering, waiting for the tree to bring forth fruit unto you.
If you do nourish the tree and exercise your faith, it will grow and you will see great change in your life. You will see the effects of the change and it will be only for good. Eternal life is more important than worldly happiness. This time on earth is short. Eternity is longer. Keep on exercising faith in Christ and you will get the reward of Eternal Life. I love you all and miss you all! Sorry for the long email.Elder Deckerเอ็ลเดอร์ เดคเคอร์Thailand Bangkok Mission
Papaya Salad. It's actually really good. It's pretty spicy and you eat it with sticky rice
We live in the green house!
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