Week 23: Choose Ye This Day

11/12/18

Hey everyone! I have hit my 5 month mark on my mission and my 3 month mark in Thailand!! This was another great week in the land and I feel like I grew so much this week. The language growth comes super slow but I am talking more about growing more spiritually and developing more Christ-like attributes. I can truly see the Lord's hand in this work when I open my eyes and allow him to help me. 

I saw so many miracles this week! At English class more people came this week and as a result we got 3 new people that we are now teaching. This week I got to do some solid inviting and just walking around and finding people who are prepared. I love being a missionary and every time I get rejected or laughed at I look at it as an opportunity not to get laughed at the next time I talk to someone! 

This week I decided to go play soccer with the little kids and they loved me for some reason. I was all dressed up in my missionary attire and doing these fast little drills with about 8 or so little boys. Afterwards I told their coach I taught English every Tuesday night and all the kids were so interested. I ended up passing out all my English cards and the little kids all said they were coming next week!! Being a missionary is the greatest calling for real. 

Funny story: 

While we were inviting this week we saw this man doing some house work and I asked him if he needed any help. He just kept saying มาแล้ว like 5 times in a row, which means you've already come to my house before. He was referring to some other missionaries before I came to this area who gave him a picture of Jesus Christ. Anyways he invited me and my companion in and had told us that he believes in Jesus Christ but also worships Buddhism and some other Chinese Gods. At the end of our visit and thanked us for stopping by by smelling my nose and kissing under my ear! Little strange haha. 

So zone conference was this week and I felt like everything was directed at me and my companion. As a whole mission we are focusing on becoming consecrated missionaries. I learned so much about choosing this day, not tomorrow or the day after, to serve the Lord. We all, many times in life, simply procrastinate. We put off simple tasks or maybe even difficult ones for a later day. I learned how crucial it is that we remember to serve the Lord and serve for the Lord. We all have difficult days where maybe we don't want to work but I challenge everyone "to choose that this day will be the best day of my life!" There's no need to delay or procrastinate. 

Also a great takeaway from zone conference was LOVE! A big focus was on inviting others and sharing the gospel with everyone we encounter. But inviting really comes down to this basic question, "do I love this person enough to talk to them." The most important commandment is truly to love the Lord with all thy heart and love thy neighbor as thyself. Everything I do as a missionary is centered on love! 

Speaking of love, I went on a switch off with my district leader this week and he showed me what it means to love the people! He focused and listened intently to what the people said to him. He would go up to them and smile and shake their hand and show that Christ like love. He told me that you just got to remember to love everyone because we are all God's children, and he wants us all to return back to Him. 

Take-away this week: 

-Love God and each and every one of his children with perfect love

-Choose today what type of person you want to be in the world

-Be an example to those around you 

-My parents are the best for sending me 3 packages 

-My stake is also the best for sending me a bunch of candy with super sweet notes

-Phuket deserves consecrated missionaries 

Love,

Elder Lowe

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1. Playing some soccer...by the way I am so bad now it's not even funny haha 

2. The practice squad

3. Last time at the beach for p days! 

4. Zone conference and our Thanksgiving feast!!

5. Packages from my parents and my stake back home...thank you so much :)