I'm a Father

From: Colby John Decker <colby.decker@myldsmail.net>

Hello Everybody! Really good week. 

Last Wednesday, I stayed in Rangsit again for the night. It was cool going back to the house I was born into. Except the A/C was broken haha. 

Thursday I went to the Trainer's meeting to get my new Greenie. His name is Elder Byers from Orem, Utah. He's way cool. Speaks Thai better than I did when I was a greenie. We needed some greenie fire in this area. 

For last P-Day we went to this place called Iron Village. It's just a bunch of sculptures made out of iron. It's pretty dope. Did a lot of inviting this last week because no one answers their phones. Met this guy who got his clothes stolen and was just in his shorts. Taught him how to pray and he gave an awesome prayer.. He's way cool. I told him if he came to church I would give him a shirt. 

Met this other guy who had a black eye and was drunk. Started rolling a blunt in front of us. It was pretty funny. His friend came and told him stop being a drunk than left. He was just sitting outside by a Temple. It was funny. I got his number and we're gonna help him stop drinking. Cool week. 

Yesterday after church, Sister Larson had a feeling to visit Brother Aek, who is less active, and his family and we went to his house and his Restaurant was closed. She told me to call a member and ask if his wife had the baby yet. I was told probably not and than a couple minutes later I got a call back saying yes, the baby was born today at 3. It was way cool. The Holy Ghost is so awesome. Just a cool experience I wanted to share.

Today I want to share another talk with y'all. The talk is Yes, Lord, I Will Follow Thee by Elder Eduardo Gavarett from October 2014 General Conference. There's a little part on it that I like that says

"Enoch was called to preach the gospel to a difficult, hard-hearted people. He did not feel qualified. He had doubts about whether he could do it. The Lord calmed his doubts and strengthened his faith through the invitation "Walk with me"—an invitation that, like a blind man's cane or a friend's arm, can guide the footsteps of one whose step is not sure. By taking the Savior's arm and walking with Him, Enoch found that his step became firm and he became a great missionary and a prophet.
The decision to "come unto me" and "follow me" is personal. When we accept this invitation, our level of commitment is raised, and it is then that we can "walk with Him." This level establishes a closer relationship with the Savior—the fruit of our accepting the first invitation."

I love this part in the talk. Life is hard. It gets rough. Sometimes we feel we're not good enough and we get disheartened. When time gets rough or when we don't know what to do, we need to turn to the Savior and he will help lift our burdens. By trusting and following him we can make it through the most difficult times. We all need to come unto Christ and follow him. Through this we will have the most happiness and we will be directed for good in our lives. I know that my Savior lives and he loves me and he loves everyone here on this earth. I'm happy to be part of this great work in harvesting souls to help guide them on their journey back home. I love you all and miss everyone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Pics: Pictures of the little statues or whatever you call them that is in the village

Elder Decker
เอ็ลเดอร์ เดกเกอร์
Thailand Bangkok Mission

Waterfalls

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more

Elder Decker
เอ็ลเดอร์ เดกเกอร์
Thailand Bangkok Mission

waterfall pics

Some pictures of the waterfall, wild puppy, fat centipede

Elder Decker
เอ็ลเดอร์ เดกเกอร์
Thailand Bangkok Mission

pics of Flooding

Flooding in the members neighborhood

Elder Decker
เอ็ลเดอร์ เดกเกอร์
Thailand Bangkok Mission

I Went to Jail

Hello everybody!

President has decided to trust me with a child. I'm so excited. I pick him up tomorrow. It was a real good transfer. A lot of miracles. Start of a new transfer. Last, last Monday we went to a waterfall in Saraburi for P-Day. It was pretty cool. Helped me realize I'm in Thailand. 

Tuesday we had interviews with President. I went to my birthplace Rangsit and it brought back good memories. I switched off with Elder Brinkerhoff last Wednesday who is from my group. All our appointments canceled so we did a lot of inviting. Found some cool people. 

Thursday I interviewed my first investigator for baptism which was cool. Very spiritual experience. 

Friday I went to jail. For like 3 hours. We went to go visit a member that we have been searching for. We can't give him a Book of Mormon. We had to speak to him through the vent because the phone wasn't working. You take a number and have to wait to go visit. It's kinda like the DMV. We went to visit a members house in the middle of nowhere. Her neighborhood is way flooded so you have to take a boat to her house. It was pretty cool. 

Saturday, we went to visit an LA in the morning because we felt impressed to do it but he's never home. Turned out he was home and we sat down with him and talked with him. After that we went to look for a potential investigator that me and Elder Brinkerhoff found on our switch off and it literally was cool how we found it. It's this little street north of the city where you go all the way down and there's an apartment. I guessed it was on the 2nd floor first door on the right and she was there so it was definitely God helping us find her. She's from the Isan and takes care of kids with 2 other people who all joined in on the lesson. They started throwing stuff in the middle and the kids were going crazy but it was still a good lesson.

Sunday, The LA we visited came to church and Brother Saree and his GF came too, so it's way cool. Brother Saree is Islamic but doing Buddhist stuff. It's interesting. But it was way cool they came. 

Personal Study has been way good this week. I started to read old general conference talks to prepare for Conference coming up. I was reading Approaching the Throne of God with Confidence by By Elder Jörg Klebingat in the April 2013 General Conference. It was very good even the first paragraph was awesome. It says:

On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate your spiritual confidence before God? Do you have a personal witness that your current offering as a Latter-day Saint is sufficient to inherit eternal life? Can you say within yourself that Heavenly Father is pleased with you? What thoughts come to mind if you had a personal interview with your Savior one minute from now? Would sins, regrets, and shortcomings dominate your self-image, or would you simply experience joyful anticipation? Would you meet or avoid His gaze? Would you linger by the door or confidently walk up to Him?

It really made me think about how if that situation were to happen, if I was to interview with the Savior, which side would I be on. You never know what day on Earth will be the last one here. We should always be striving to be better. It's good to evaluate where you are spiritually. There is always room to improve and we should always be making goals to improve ourselves spiritually. If we aren't happy, we need to stop, and be happy. If you're not happy cause you're not keeping the commandments, stop, repent, and be happy. It might take a little more than that but we all have power over our own happiness. No one else can take that away. The grass is always greener on the other side. Life is so much better if we're looking for happiness in the present and not looking for the future for happiness. Let yourselves be happy. Stop being sad. It's no fun. Another quote from that talk is when it says "Choosing something bad over something worse is still choosing wrong." Sin is still sin. Period. Love you all. Sorry I'm all over the place today. Hope you all have a good week. 

Pics: Our district chair pic of how many transfers left. I used to be way up there. Some elephant statue things we found inviting, Thai Hospital Wheelchairs, and this random guy made us a shrimp out of straw.

Elder Decker
เอ็ลเดอร์ เดกเกอร์
Thailand Bangkok Mission

gangsta primates pics

Gangsta primates

Elder Decker
เอ็ลเดอร์ เดกเกอร์
Thailand Bangkok Mission

Monkeys

Hi. Another great week down in the ancient city of Ayutthaya. It's been a fast transfer with transfers coming next week but it's been good. Last Monday we visited some more temples. Went to the old Portuguese Settlement. It was pretty cool. They were Christians but there's Buddhist stuff all over so I thought it was pretty funny.

Tuesday I went on a switch off in Lopburi with Elder Whitaker who has 6 months left in his mission. He's way funny and a convert to the church. Lopburi is known for monkeys all over so I was excited. Except monkeys are evil gangstas. I wouldn't think 2 foot animals could be so scary. It's like a gang. If you have food in your hand they will steal it. To get passed them, you give them inviting cards so they won't steal anything. And if they bite you, you have to go get rabies shots in Bangkok for 5 weeks. Not as cool as I thought. But they're scared of stuffed crocodiles. It's pretty funny.  

Visited a lot of Less Actives this week trying to get them to church for Branch Conference. A lot committed and didn't show up, very lame. But what can you do. We got a whole bunch of people at church and Brother Ess, our investigator, had the opportunity to get a personal lesson in Priesthood from the Stake President, his counselor, Stake Clerk, a couple High Councilors, Branch President, the First Counselor, and the Elder's Quorum President . It was way cool. They threw lesson right out the window. 

We finally found Brother Go. He's in jail. Brother Mong and his wife and his cute little 6 month year old kid, came to church today. He's way cool. He doesn't like big groups of people but he used to go to church and he was missing it. He said he doesn't want to go to the person he is when he doesn't go to church. He's way awesome Investigator.

Which brings me to little thought I want to share today. I came across these scriptures in John 6: 66-69 and it's when a lot of Christ's disciples decided that his words were too hard and they just couldn't follow his teachings anymore. 

66 ¶ From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.
67 Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?
68 Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life.
69 And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.

It's such a powerful couple of verses. They know that Jesus is the Christ. They have a strong testimony of him and his teachings. There is no where else to go when you find the truth and the light. There is honestly no where else to go. They knew he was the Christ not because he was there in flesh and bones, but because they had a testimony of him. They prayed and listened to His words. They followed His teachings. They did the things which strengthened their testimonies of the Savior, Jesus Christ. The ones that had true testimonies of the Savior Jesus Christ were the ones that continued to follow them. If we decide to fall away from the church where will we go? Not towards Eternal Happiness and Salvation. The Gospel is true and there is no where else I'd go. This church has the words of eternal life and happiness. This is the true church of God restored through Joseph Smith and we have the words of eternal life that have been restored once more again on this earth. I know that Jesus Christ, my Savior, leads this church today. I've never been happier in my life than I have out here in Thailand. I love you all and miss everybody!!!


Elder Decker
เอ็ลเดอร์ เดกเกอร์
Thailand Bangkok Mission

Pic's of 1. My backyard. 2. Portuguese Skeletons. 3. Statue in a Tree. 4. Flooding in Ayutthaya. 5. graveyard

more pics from 50 Baht

More pictures of temples and ruins

Elder Decker
เอ็ลเดอร์ เดกเกอร์
Thailand Bangkok Mission

50 Baht

Sawasdi Crap. Another awesome week. Last P-Day we went P-daying with some members from Asoke. We visited some Temples. They made me pay 50 Baht because I am white but it's only 10 for Thai people. I almost got them to think I was Thai but my Thai isn't good enough yet. Next time. 

Tuesday we went to the military base again and we rode around in a hummer. It was pretty dope. Did some service for a member that doesn't come to church anymore because they have no friends but the church in Ayutthaya is mostly older ladies haha. Moved some cabinets for him. Broke my back. Wednesday we visited the old branch president who is very salty man. Thursday I went on a switch of with the ZL's in Don Muang and invited all day. We also taught English to two people that day. 

Friday we had Zone Conference. It was pretty good. I didn't bring my notes so I don't really remember but I learned I need to use activities more to help my investigators out with getting comfortable with the members. We played some minute to win it games after and ate ice cream. 

Saturday, we met this couple who the wife is from Norway and the husband is from Thailand and they have a half thai half white kid who is like 3. The wife wants her husband to become Christian. She's Baptist. They'll both be baptized but he's very Buddhist. It'll be way fun. I've noticed there's a lot of Buddhist temples here in Ayutthaya. 

Sunday we had Brother Bom and Sister Fluke at church.

There was a Baptism after church for the branch President's daughter so it was good for them to see. They're both way cool. 

We rented Brother Ninja a car to go to Bangkok for the Priesthood Meeting there. He's working all the time and hasn't been to church since he was confirmed a couple of months ago. He has no money and his boss didn't pay him in full so he's trying to find other work. We got him to go the Priesthood meeting and we're gonna visit his house which is way out there. But yeah the week was good.

This week I want to share a scripture in Alma 3:26-27

26 And in one year were thousands and tens of thousands of souls sent to the eternal world, that they might reap their rewards according to their works, whether they were good or whether they were bad, to reap eternal happiness or eternal misery, according to the spirit which they listed to obey, whether it be a good spirit or a bad one.
27 For every man receiveth wages of him whom he listeth to obey, and this according to the words of the spirit of prophecy; therefore let it be according to the truth.

Just some scriptures I never noticed before. It was after the big war with the Lamanites and Nephites. They will all be judged according to their works. Our actions on this earth are very important. We should always be striving to be the best we can be and good examples. We can either reap eternal happiness or eternal misery. Eternal Happiness sounds a lot better than eternal misery. I would take the first one. What we need to do is obey the prophets and apostles of these days and to follow the commandments of God. This is the only way of happiness. There is no other way. I love you all and miss you all!!!!!!!! Jurgans

Pictures: Some pictures of members from Asoke and pictures of a Temple and Jaediis. The last one is Four Wheel and Ivy. Ivy is half black half thai. Four Wheel is a boss (He is 4 and has cancer but is the happiest kid and always smiling.)

Elder Decker
เอ็ลเดอร์ เดกเกอร์
Thailand Bangkok Mission

More pics

Testimony