Week 60: Ayutthaya

Hey yall! This week was a pretty good one and I'm really excited to apply the things I learned this week into my mission and my life. We had an awesome zone conference this week about loving your companions, planning effectively, and coming to know our Savior and Redeemer! It was so good and I feel so close to my Savior right now. 

Pet and Geeg are doing so awesome and have received their answer about the Book of Mormon! I'm super excited about their progression and that they really understand that the book of mormon is true. Once these people that we teach know the Book of Mormon is true for themselves and have felt the spirit testify that what we have taught is true, the have begun their conversion process! 

Also we met some random people this week who messaged us on Facebook asking questions about the church. We got to meet face to face with one of them and they had so many hard questions. From what it looked like, both of them had closed hearts who just wanted to question everything we did. However, we were able to give them book of mormons and one of them is already on chapter 10! I'm excited to see how the spirit will work for this lady as she reads the Book of Mormon!!

P day we went to Ayutthaya with some members and it was so cool! Sorry I don't have a lot of time this week to write!

Love 

Elder Lowe 

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The Elders with the Monks

 Trip to Ayutthaya

Week 59: Miracle Week

What a miracle week here in Thailand!! Seriously just full of joy and excitement and miracles. Basically me and my companion were not getting along, and this was going on for a while. There would be days where neither of us would say a word to each other, however we are doing so good now and the spirit is stronger than ever when we teach! It is such a miracle and a blessing to get along with your comp. 

Another miracle is the recent converts are progressing so well. First, Sister See is probably the most fire new member on the planet. She always comes to church, has given us some new people to teach, and is always asking us if she can help teach with us!! Second, Brother Q is the man. He actually went to a YSA (young single adult) camp for an entire week and has also helped teach with us. They are so sick!!

Pet and Geeg are so so awesome still. Not too much to report for them other than they have accepted to be baptized on the 10th of August and that we meet them like everyday. They make appointments with me haha it's the funniest thing. 

The coolest thing of the week was on Sunday. We got a referral from a member so we were waiting at the church to teach him. He came a little late but once he got there we were just gonna teach him about the Godhead and prayer. However, he explained that he was searching for truth and had been studying this religion for over a year. We taught him the restoration and he fully accepted it and said he wanted to be baptized. It was actually really funny...He said "what do I have to do to be a member?" I replied "just as Jesus Christ was baptized, we need to be baptized and make covenants to become members in his church." He replied saying, "well I think I have a little bit of a cold today, but maybe in 2 days." Me and my comp and the members all looked at each other in amazement and then started laughing of joy. Obviously he needs to learn and be converted himself, but seeing his willingness and faith right off the bat was such a miracle!!

Lastly, we are teaching a guy named brother earth. He is so willing to be baptized and wants a change in his life. He is at the beginning parts of his conversion and I'm excited to see how he progress these coming weeks. 

Love you all! God is so good and I know he lives and answers our prayers. I love you all and hope you all have a good week!

Love, 

Elder Lowe

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Elder Burgess and Elder Lowe

Can we say "Minions?"

Week 58: Don Muang for a 4th transfer

So my trainer, Elder Davis, and a bunch of my friends in his group went home this week which is still kinda crazy. 2 years goes by way fast and way slow - it's so weird จบ! 

This week was super awesome! It's the start of a new transfer in the same area with the same comp. However, there's a new Zone leader in the house and his name is Elder Dollery. He's from Australia and he is way sick and a really good missionary! Me and my comp made some new goals to continue to work with LAs, to help our RCs progress by teaching with us, and help more of the people we teach enter the waters of baptism. 

Overall the story of this whole week is our investigators named Pet (เพชร) and Geeg (กิ๊ก) who are dating. They are 22 years old and are the cutest couple. Anyways, we have literally met with them everyday this week. They call me and confirm appointments and after we teach them they ask if we can meet the next day! Honestly they are so so fire. We have been reading the Book of Mormon with them and taking things a little slow. 

We passed out some lemonade in front of a concert and pet and Geeg came to help as well! They are so cool and are really progressing towards baptism. 

We have also had Brother คิว (Q) and Sister ซี (See) teach with us this week, which has been so sick! They are our RCs and it's so cool to see how much they have grown as a person in the last couple of months! Sister See actually took us to go meet one of her friends and asked us to start teaching them! She's so awesome!!

Love, 

Elder Lowe

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-Met a member from Bangnaa

-lemonade outside the concert

-teaching brother min a couple months ago (he's an RC now)

Eating Dinner with RC

YUMMY!!!!  -eating the first good donut in Thailand lol

-Teaching investigators with Brother Flygare (old pic)

-Saying goodbye to เอกนิรันดร์ and elder English 

Some of these photos are from like 2 transfers ago, but I just got them! 

Accepted New Job at Primrose School

I was offered a job at a Primrose School as their Director of Curriculum.  It is at a small private school and I am not sure if it will give me the challenge I need, but it combines a few things I love - caring for and teaching children, management, and improving interaction with children.

I officially started on 7/15/19, but I worked from home from 7/22/19 thru 7/27/19 because Marissa came to visit for the week.

Week 57: Baptism of Brother Q

This week has been a really crazy and stressful one, but I'll just give you all a summary and a funny story or two. Ok to start Brother Q (คิว) was baptized and it was such a wonderful day. However, everything leading up to it was a little crazy with trying to schedule the interview, filling up the water for the font, and getting members to it since it was on a Saturday. In the end everything worked out and he received the Holy Ghost the next day. All in all, the Lord answers our prayers if we ask for help with real intent and sincerity in our hearts. I've seen the person that Brother Q was to what he is now, and I can see a new person with more light in his life. 

This entire transfer my companion and I have worked on visiting Less Active members and helping them return back. I have seen miracles by just consistently visiting and ministering to these people. I haven't done so much less active work on my whole mission until this transfer, but it has been wonderful to see the excitement and happiness the good news brings to people's lives. 

We are teaching this one guy named อิ้ม (eem) and he is really cool. So missionaries from along time ago taught him, but he couldn't ever go to church because he works on Sunday. We began teaching him about 2 weeks ago and at first he said he didn't want to give up smoking, he didn't want to go to church, and that he didn't want to be baptized. It was honestly a little upsetting and frustrating because he didn't know what he was missing in his life. Nevertheless, we continued to visit and teach him and he has changed his mind. His heart is beginning to open. He has accepted a baptismal date and asked his boss if he can get off on Sundays. I am convinced that the Lord has a big hand in all of this and has been preparing his heart over the last 2 weeks. 

Funny Story:

One day my companion and I were teaching this person while eating food. My companion had drunk a bunch of water at the time and said that he had to go to the bathroom. However, one of the first things I learned in Thailand is that public restrooms don't really exist besides in malls. We were too far away from home and we had another appointment soon so we just traveled to our next appointment. After that one finished we had a member appointment which we were already a little late to. My companion said he couldn't really hold it, but I told him that there would be a bathroom around where we were going to. We went into the taxi and about 10 minutes he starts panting and grunting in the back and tells the taxi to stop. He pays the guy and then sprints out of the car and just runs about 100 meters and starting a peeing in the middle of this little neighborhood. A bunch of people came out of their houses laughing and asking me if he was drunk and I said that he just really had to go to the bathroom. What started from a weird incident turned into a pretty cool discussion. I told them that we were missionaries and that we have a special message for them. It was a really weird and cool experience to say the least where I was able to share the gospel with about 10 people at the same time. Although none of them accepted the message, I felt that we needed to share that message with them at that moment. 

Two new people that we are working with this week are named เพชร (pet) and กิ๊ก (geeg). They walked into the church together on Sunday and we got to teach them about Heavenly Father and how we can communicate with Him through prayer. The Spirit was there and they actually went to a family home evening with us the next day at a members house and then English class on Tuesday! I know that God has prepared their hearts  to receive this message!! I'm soo excited to teach them. 

Lastly, transfer calls just came yesterday and I am staying in the same area with the same companion! I'm so excited to help the work progress here and see all the miracles that the Lord has in store for us. Love you all so much. Have a good week!

Love, 

Elder Lowe

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Flooding in Bangkok

What is that?

Dinner 

Baptism of Brother Q

Baptism of Brother Q - group photo

Family Home Evening at Wisan's house

FHE - Pet and Geeg came

Drink from a bag

Like his shirt

Week 56: Teaching at a University

Wow so this week was not like a normal week because we got to teach at this University. We taught college students and it was a little sad that none of them could speak very good English! Anyways it was very fun but very long. It was an all day thing so I have a new and deeper understanding and respect for teachers. 

Other than that we have continued to teach Brother Q and prepare him for baptism! His testimony has continued to grow each and every week and it's been so cool to see the changes and sacrifices he's made to be baptized. We gave him a practice interview this last week and his actual baptismal interview will be on Tuesday! 

This week we started teaching sister See the review lessons after baptism and she new everything. She actually started recounting things that we never taught her but are true. She somehow already knows about how fast Joseph Smith translated the plates, and she knew about general conference and all these other things. Honestly  my comp and me were so touched by seeing sister See's faith and desire to change her life; it brought us so much joy and helped us to get along better! She also got the gift of the Holy Ghost this last Sunday!! 

A big problem in Thailand is that the men at around age 19 and 20 have to become Monks for some period of time (บวชพระ). So many people that we teach are 20 year old guys and they all have this problem. We are teaching this guy ฟลุค (Fluke) who really loves English and at first he would just come to the church for English class. However, he has started to learn and wants to be baptized. He even  asked his mom if he could be baptized, however like usual she said no...not until after he becomes a monk. We are praying for him that he can somehow be baptized and skip becoming a monk phase in his life. He is honestly such a good kid. 

well that's about it for this week!! 

Love, 

Elder Lowe 

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yum

Missionaries that taught at the university

Teaching at the University