Week 86: Count your Blessings

Sorry I didn't get this email out last week! I'm going to send 2 out this week to catch back up. This week I went to a district council in Bangbuathong and we totally surprised them. They talked a lot about the importance of unity as a companionship and loving your companion. It made me think about my relationships with my companions over my mission. I'm grateful for all my awesome comps and the things I learned from them.

So I got to do so me cool switch offs this week with 2 of my close friends on the mission. First, I switched off with my MTC companion, Elder Ward, who is such a good hard working missionary. We saw so many MIRACLES and I just love being on the errand of the Lord. God helped us through having our morning appointment cancel right as we were about to get on bikes and leave from the church, which led to us walking inside and finding that Bishop just so happened to have the day off and was in his office. It was powerful to discuss with him his vision for the ward, commit our service to him, and then invite him and his wife to go help us teach Brother Den, who is a new member of the church. After teaching and Ministering to him with the bishop, wow did he keep the commitments we gave him! We invited him, whenever he had friends who questioned his faith, for him to simply accept these things and say "Hey, let me have two of my friends come to explain more about what I believe".

After going and getting some lunch, we went back to his classroom and immediately two of his friends asked him what it meant that he had received the Aaronic priesthood (as the bishop had just given him his ordination certificate confirming he had been ordained a priest). Immediately we looked at each other, and he turned to us and told his friends to ask us and listen to what we had to say. We had such an amazing conversation and came to find out his two friends, brother Bright and sister Nat, have had a belief in God for a long time now, but now everything makes sense to them. So excited for them to continue to come to know their Heavenly Father and their Savior Jesus Christ as they continue to learn of Him more!

My switch off with Elder Bird was awesome as well! We taught so many people and we just worked. Honestly is the best feeling to just work as hard as you can and then just come home at night drenched in sweat!
I also had the opportunity to switch off with Elder Kearsley and Elder Palmer, while my companion was in a meeting for missionaries that are going home.

We put Arthur on a date for February 23rd on Sunday and he is progressing so well!! Keep praying for miracles here in Thailand.

Lastly, Elder Sunsion and I got to go out with President Hammond to visit Suwat and his family. We taught about the importance of family and we even read the Family Proclamation to the world with him. I love being a missionary and teaching families the good news! I hope everyone has a good week and I hope that everyone will count the blessings in your life.

Love,
Elder Lowe
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Elder Sunsion, Suprakrit, and Robert in Chung Buri

Robert with one of Dad's mission friends, Dave Boland

Farewell for Elder Sunsion

Robert with Elder Palmer and Elder Kearsley and a new member

Robert with Elder Ward, the Bishop and his wife, and the new member

Looks like ice cream - where did they get that in Thailand

Robert, Elder Ward and the group of friends

Robert, Elder Sunsion with Bright and Nat ?

Robert and Elder Sunsion - what a great companionship

Week 85: Back in Isaan

Last week Elder Andersen came to Thailand and gave all the missionaries a commitment to memorize scriptures. This will deepen our personal conversion and it will allow us to be sharper instruments, or in other words, more effective missionaries and teachers. I have personally been able to memorize a couple of scriptures in Thai this week and it has been a game changer. I am able to use these scriptures on the spot while inviting and teaching! People have been more engaged and willing to listen because they can feel a greater spirit. I guess what I'm trying to say is using the words of God (scriptures) has a greater power than using our own words.

I was in the Isaan from Thursday to Saturday. I got to switch off in Roi Et, my old area, on Thursday! I switched off with Elder Kearsley and we were able to teach a lot of new people. The Elders there are starting to teach some more families and individuals who are very interested! I'm so excited for them!! Also it was so fun to see all the wonderful members and the people I taught when I was there. 

On Friday, I was in Udorn and I switched off with Elder Benteti. He was in my MTC group and I have played basketball with him at BYU before I was a missionary. He loves the people he is teaching and has developed great relationships with them! Then on Saturday I went to Kumpawapi and I worked with the Elders there. It is a tiny area that doesn't really have a lot going on there. 

I'm excited for this next transfer because we should have some people preparing to be baptized. Right now we are teaching a several families and a couple of individuals that are preparing for baptism. We have this one boy that we are teaching named Arm who is so fire. He is 13 and he comes to church every week, he reads the Book of Mormon everyday and understands it, and his parents have given approval for him to be baptized. I'm so excited for him to be baptized on February 23rd! 

Love you all so much! Remember to choose the right!

Love,

Elder Lowe

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The Zones of Bangkok with Elder Anderson, an Apostle of the Lord

Robert on splits with Elder Bentiti

Isn't this Amazing!

Marissa doing Labor and Delivery shifts in clinicals (add photo)

 Marissa is loving her nursing program.

This semester she rotates through different departments in the hospital.  

She get to work in:

Med Serg, ER, Labor and Delivery, Psyc, ICU, NICU, Serg & Recovery, and more.

This week she started Labor and Delivery!

(insert photo)

Happy Birthday Jessica

Happy Birthday Jessica.  Today she is 27 years old. What a blessing she is in our lives.

She has been married 4 and ½ years, and the mother of adorable Cayson.  She has her masters in Speech Communication Disorders.

Her birthday always falls on Martin Luther King's holiday so she always gets the day off!  What a treat!

Week 84: Apostle in Thailand

This was such a special week because Elder Andersen, an Apostle  of the Lord, came to Thailand. I'm grateful for living Prophets and Apostles who are living representatives of Jesus Christ. He talked a lot about the temple, the second coming, focusing our teaching on the Savior, and memorizing scriptures in the New Testament and the Book of Mormon. Basically, we need to be converted to Jesus Christ and not the church. The church leads us to Jesus Christ and helps us to become more like Him. If we are true disciples of Jesus Christ then we need to live like Jesus lived. I learned a lot more about the importance of learning of Christ and becoming converted to him. I know that as we become closer to Jesus Christ we will have more happiness in our lives too. 

This week I did 2 switch offs. I switched off with the Zone Leaders in the Bangkok West and the District Leader in my area. Elder Anderson is 2 transfers above me, which means he is about to go home. We got to teach a couple families and we just continue to use the Book of Mormon as much as we can in our teaching. I taught this lady named แหวว (Waew) who has read all the way to 3 Nephi and understands everything so well! We read the scriptures to explain the restoration of the gospel and she says she believes the Book of Mormon to be true. 

I also switched off with Elder Fox, who came into the country a month after me. He has so much faith as a missionary and had a very difficult past, but has developed a strong testimony throughout his mission. We got to teach the family of Suwat and Petploy, and he shared some personal experiences of a time in his life when he had little faith. The difference the gospel can have in our lives just amazes me. Later we committed this 13 year old boy to baptism. His name is Arm and he has so much faith and desire to have a better life. His baptismal date is scheduled for February 24th which is the day before my birthday!!

Miracles are truly all around is! The question is do we have the faith enough to see or go out and find them?

Love you all so much. 

What a small car!

Reunited:  Elder Burgess, Robert, Juthamas' sister, and Sathit's wife - Juthamas Kaivalvatana

Robert, the elders with Issaya Inlee

Week 83: The Power of the Book of Mormon

I hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas and are excited for this new year! For me, I didn't do really anything special for the new year, but I have made some great goals and I'm excited for a new beginning again. I have been in Thailand since 2018, so it's very weird to me that this will be the year that I go home. I'm excited to serve with all my might these last 5 months! 

This new year I'm really excited to focus my studies on the Book of Mormon and just really dive into it. We have been focusing our finding efforts, teaching efforts, and our studying on the Book of Mormon and I've seen so many miracles already. I'll share 2 really quickly...

First, my companion and I were visiting a member and at first he wasn't there because he was a little late to our appointment. However, a man was passing us and we started talking to him. We got to know him and I asked if he got anything cool for Christmas last week. He said he didn't get anything and it just so happened that I had a wrapped Book of Mormon in my hand at that time. I gave it to him and he opened it and we got to talk about the Book of Mormon and how it has completely changed our lives. He loved it and wanted to start reading it with us right then and there. It was such a miracle and it strengthened my testimony of the power of the Book of Mormon! 

Second, I was walking down the street and I saw some people lifting some boxes into a truck, so I stopped and helped them out. One of the guys, out of nowhere, asked me what church I'm from. So I told him and he said he loves reading books, including the Bible. I told him I had another book, called the Book of Mormon, that I would give to him the next time we met. He was thrilled and told us that he would meet us at the church! I believe the Book of Mormon opens people's hearts and is such a powerful tool in conversion. 

On Friday, I got to switch off in an old area of mine. I got to go back to Don Muang for a day and switch off with Elder Halversen again! It was so much fun because I got to visit so many people that I taught and show Elder Halversen some of the LAs that I visited while I was there. I saw Sister ซี (See), Brother เพชร (Pet) and Sister กิ๊ก (Gig)! I love that area and the people there so much! 

Lastly, I want to talk about 3 cool individuals and families we are teaching. One, is a little 9 year old boy named น้ำแข็ง (Nahm Keng), who is so ready for the gospel. We gave him the children's Book of Mormon and he had just been reading a ton from it. He was recounting the story of Joseph Smith and Nephi to us better than all the adults that we teach. He loves the gospel and he loves praying! 

Second, we are teaching this one family that has a ton of kids. The dad's name is โกฮัง (Gohang) and the mom's name is แก้ว (Gaew). They have such great faith and want to be baptized, but we haven't got the dad to come to church yet. We hope that the Lord will provide a miracle and help them get to church soon!

Third, สุวัฒน์ (Suwat) and his family. His son พัช (Pat) is actually a recent convert and wants us to teach his family, including his dad, aunt, and sister. The dad is progressing so much and is just the nicest guy, and his sister comes to church and has told us she wants to be baptized. I'm really excited for this family and for their desire to learn more about Jesus Christ and how to follow him. 

I'm so excited for this new year and for all the miracles in store! I hit my 19 month mark today, which is just crazy! I love you all and may God bless you this year. 

Love, 

Elder Lowe 

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Watermelon for the APs:  Elder Sunsion and Elder Lowe