Rain, Rain, Go Away

Another day another dollar. Hello again everyone. It hasn't stopped raining here for the past couple of weeks. It makes everything hot and humid. Anyways my week was goose. Played Risk for PDay. Cool, miracle stuff happened this week. I may or may not have ate Sizzler's 3 times this week. 

We were inviting and we came across this guy washing his cart. I started to strike up a conversation with him and he stopped and walked over to us. He wasn't wearing any pants haha. It was pretty funny but he loves religions and likes to make people happy. He's down to meet with us again.

Next day, we were way far away from the Church after an appointment canceled on us or because the coffee shop disappeared and we were riding through some neighborhoods in the middle of nowhere. We stopped by these 3 older ladies and they said we can teach them about Jesus Christ. They want us to be their son in laws. But we're going to stop by and visit them this week.

The investigator (who wants to be in the US army) baby was born. He also came to church yesterday. 
I taught institute class. The district wants the missionaries to teach institute in Khon Kaen. I've never been to an institute class before. My first one I taught it haha.

We went to Central and ate at Pizza Company. While at pizza company, some white guy sat next to us and started talking to us. White people in Thailand are scary so I was scared something was about to go down. But he was actually a former investigator from Chiang Mai who just moved to Khon Kaen with his wife. He loves pretty far out of the city. He's from England. Said he didn't really like England. But his wife learned English at the free English classes we teach so that's how she speaks English. Pretty small world. We invited him to church and he said he'd come on Christmas. So pretty soon!

I almost got eaten by a dog. 
Sizzler's burgers are pretty good.
The 40th anniversary of the Priesthood devotional program thing was good. I watched part of it. 

But today, I want to share a talk by Elder Holland in April 2013 called "Lord, I Believe". Just a couple of parts I liked. 

"With this tender scriptural record as a backdrop, I wish to speak directly to the young people of the Church—young in years of age or young in years of membership or young in years of faith. One way or another, that should include just about all of us.

Observation number one regarding this account is that when facing the challenge of faith, the father asserts his strength first and only then acknowledges his limitation. His initial declaration is affirmative and without hesitation: "Lord, I believe." I would say to all who wish for more faith, remember this man! In moments of fear or doubt or troubling times, hold the ground you have already won, even if that ground is limited. In the growth we all have to experience in mortality, the spiritual equivalent of this boy's affliction or this parent's desperation is going to come to all of us. When those moments come and issues surface, the resolution of which is not immediately forthcoming, hold fast to what you already know and stand strong until additional knowledge comes. It was of this very incident, this specific miracle, that Jesus said, "If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you." The size of your faith or the degree of your knowledge is not the issue—it is the integrity you demonstrate toward the faith you do have and the truth you already know.
  

The second observation is a variation of the first. When problems come and questions arise, do not start your quest for faith by saying how much you do not have, leading as it were with your "unbelief." That is like trying to stuff a turkey through the beak! Let me be clear on this point: I am not asking you to pretend to faith you do not have. I am asking you to be true to the faith you do have. Sometimes we act as if an honest declaration of doubt is a higher manifestation of moral courage than is an honest declaration of faith. It is not! So let us all remember the clear message of this scriptural account: Be as candid about your questions as you need to be; life is full of them on one subject or another. But if you and your family want to be healed, don't let those questions stand in the way of faith working its miracle.
   

Furthermore, you have more faith than you think you do because of what the Book of Mormon calls "the greatness of the evidences." "Ye shall know them by their fruits," Jesus said, and the fruit of living the gospel is evident in the lives of Latter-day Saints everywhere. As Peter and John said once to an ancient audience, I say today, "We cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard," and what we have seen and heard is that "a notable miracle hath been done" in the lives of millions of members of this Church. That cannot be denied.
   

Brothers and sisters, this is a divine work in process, with the manifestations and blessings of it abounding in every direction, so please don't hyperventilate if from time to time issues arise that need to be examined, understood, and resolved. They do and they will. In this Church, what we know will always trump what we do not know. And remember, in this world, everyone is to walk by faith."

It's a lot but I'll let you all read it. He's talking about when the father with the possessed child comes to Jesus and Jesus told him by your faith he shall be healed. I love that example and what he said. It's such a great talk. We need to strengthen and hold to the faith we already have. We'll all go through trials of faith, but we need to hold fast to what we know and believe and resolve and overcome those trials. I can't remember who said it I think it was Elder Uchtdorf but he said "Doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith". Jesus is the Christ. Our Heavenly Father loves each of us more than we can imagine. Don't forget you are all sons and daughters of our Heavenly father. We are all destined to become Queens and Kings. Don't forget who you are and who loves you and supports you. Love you all and miss everyone!