Week 94: The Best Two Years

"All good things must come to an end." Believe it or not this was my last week in Thailand and I will be coming back home to America on Tuesday night. I still can't believe it, but I'm grateful that I got to serve as long as I did. I have had 22 months full of experience, happiness, help, knowledge, and so much more. I truly feel that the Lord has blessed me so much in these past two years. Even though the Corona virus is the reason I'm going home, I believe this is all part of God's plan; He is always looking over us and I know He is in charge. 

In terms of my last week, we had a transfer board meeting with President all of Monday and Tuesday to try and organize the mission and put them in new areas. We decided that I should get back in the field for my last 2 months and get to work in หนองคาย (Nong Khai). While I was packing on Wednesday morning we received word that we aren't allowed to travel or move areas. So I stayed as the Assistant I guess. However, we were hoping that that would only be temporary. We also had a new missionary from Myanmar come to the mission so we got to do a little training for her as well. 

We had MLC and a district leader meeting and some other meetings to start off the new transfer. However, we got news on Saturday that we are all going home :(( Our last day we had testimony meeting for all the zones and it was so powerful. I'm truly going to miss Thailand and all the people here!!

I've learned a thing or two in my time here:

1) The most important thing you can do for your life is to develop a relationship with your Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. As a missionary in Thailand we have the opportunity to teach people so many people who don't know about their father in Heaven that loves them so much. I feel blessed to know that I am a child of God and for the relationship that I have developed with him over these 2 years. 

2) The most crucial and significant event that has ever occurred since the beginning of human existence is the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I know that Jesus Christ loves us and sacrificed himself for us. Nothing else even compares with the Atonement. In fact nothing else is important in life when we understand the Atonement more fully. As I have come to understand the Atonement better on my mission, my heart is full of gratitude and joy that someone came to this Earth to suffer for my pains and sins personally. I know without a doubt in my mind that Christ suffered personally for me on that night. If you haven't started your relationship with Jesus Christ, or if you don't know where he fits in your life I implore you to start now!

3) The Lord answers prayers. My mission has been full of ups and downs. Good times and bad times. Joy and sorrow. Accomplishments and Stuggles. But through it all I have always had a guiding hand in this work. As I turned to the Lord I truly saw His hand in everything. He has answered my prayers repeatedly and helped me in more ways than I can name on my mission. 

4) The Lord calls prophets. It is quite obvious that the Lord has called a living prophet to lead and guide us in these days. With the Corona virus, panic is imminent, however as I have looked to our prophet I have felt peace and safety in every phase of the way. 

5) The Book of Mormon is God's other witness. It truly is another witness to the glory of God! I have developed such a strong testimony that it is true and that Joseph Smith is a true prophet of God. I want to support the apostle Elder Holland in his testimony of the Book of Mormon. He stated, "I want it absolutely clear when I stand before the judgement bar of God that I declared to the world, in the most straightforward language I could summon, that the Book of Mormon is true, that it came forth the way Joseph said it came forth and was given to bring happiness and hope to the faithful in the travail of the last days." I know it to be true!

6) The Lord is the master of the vineyard and he has a work for us to do. The importance of sharing the gospel cannot be overstated. God has a work for his servants to do in his vineyard and I have a desire to labor with the Lord. I'm so excited to continue to serve the Lord with all my might even when I'm back home. 

Just wanted to end this email with a quote by Dr Suess: "Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened"

Love you all. See you soon!!

Love,

Elder Lowe'

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Bunk mates for one night in Bangkok

Heading home

Temple progress

Working in the office

Companions to the End

Stop with Robert and Elder Robison
Stop is an entertainment reporter in Thailand that is also a member of the church
He's fantastic

Robert - a proud Thailand Missionary

Robert and Elder Robison in Bangkok
AP's to the End

Week 92: no email

Instead - Robert asked us to send him our conversion stories.  I have a few, so here they are:

So when I was only 4 years old, (1970) my parents move my family to a very small town out in a dessert.  The town was called Ridgecrest, CA.  Since I hadn't started school yet, my mom wanted me to meet the neighbors to make friends.  I made friends with this cute girl that lived just a few houses down the street from me.  Her name is Stephanie.  She and I played together often.  One day she invited me to attend Primary (it was held during the week at that time).  I went with her - I had the best time.  I came home and I guess I acted differently.  My parents both noticed changes in me.  They saw me kneeling by my bed saying my prayers.  So, my mom called Stephanie's mom and wanted to know more about the church I attended with them. From that, my parents invited the Doermans' and the missionaries over to our house to hear the discussions.  Shortly after that they were baptized members.  I had to wait four more years but then I was baptized too.  The year I was baptized my family drove to Salt Lake City to be sealed in the temple forever. 

I’m so glad I went to primary with my friend.  I believe all the principles of the gospel are taught in primary and that we can be missionaries at any age!

Love
Your mom

Although I had a testimony of the church (and thank goodness I did) I was the only one in my family that did.  By the time I was 14 years old my dad had stopped going to church on a regular basis.  He would go from time to time but not very often.  By the time I was 16 my parents had divorced (again), my dad had taken a new wife, and both of them did not attend church.  I had to find my own way, calling for rides from friends.  Luckily there was a family that lived about a mile from my house, and I could get rides from them.  I did this every week until I could drive myself.  I paid for my own gas and church was not close, but I made it a priority to go to church.  I even got myself up for seminary and drove to seminary before church.  I never missed church.

Well, near the end of my senior year of high school, I started dating a classmate that was not a member of our church.  He was a nice guy and all but his family didn't go to church.  One Sunday, they invited me to go out on the lake with them.  I had turned them down before because it was Sunday, but for some reason I accepted this time.  It was the first time I missed church.  I felt guilty at first, but I also enjoyed the time with them, and the lake was beautiful.  I am ashamed to say, but that was the start of my inactivity.  One Sunday turned into two, and so on.  I was inactive from church for nearly five years.

Nearly five years had gone by, and I was now 23.  When I was 21, I had moved to Blacksburg VA to attend college there.  I worked two jobs and barely made ends meet.  Things were touch, and the budget was very tight.  The only way I thought I could survive was to work Sundays so I could earn time and a half pay.  I had been living this way for a while, and finally it hit me that I was not happy with the choices I had made.  

One night, a night I hope to never forget, I was sitting on my bed and my thoughts wondered to how I ended up where I was.  I wondered how long it would take me to get my degree at this pace?  Would I ever get my degree?  Would I have a future?  What would it be like?  

Then, my thoughts took me backwards to the turning point of "how I ended up here?"  I was reminded in my mind of a time when I knew the answer to those questions.  My thought was, "Everything I needed to know I learned in Primary."  I was reminded of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and I felt the spirit testify to me of who I was, where I needed to be and what was important to me... my eternal salvation.  I contemplated what I knew was true and what would bring me true happiness.  

Right then and there, my Heavenly Father spoke to me through the whisperings of the Holy Ghost that I had learn the truths, I learned them in Primary, and in my activity in Young Womens.  I had learned the path to happiness at church.  My head started to fill with Primary songs that testified of the Love my Heavenly Father has for me.  My heart was filled with a love that is not equal to anything on Earth.  I was loved by my Heavenly Father and he wanted me to find true happiness. 

From that night forward my choices changed, my attitude changed.  I gave up everything that was not in accordance with the gospel of Jesus Christ.  At the same time I moved back to Northern Virginia (near where I grew up).  The first weekend I was back happened to be General Conference.  A friend from my high school days invited me to watch General Conference with his family.  I went to his house to watch General Conference.  I watched, and listened, and absorbed everything that was said.  I heard the counsel to repent, to seek forgiveness, to read the Book of Mormon.  I was touched by the spirit over and over, as it testified to me of the truthfulness of what I heard. I felt like every word said at that conference was for my benefit.  Words like: repent, forgive, hope, joy, blessings, forgiveness.  I started reading the Book of Mormon every night before I went to bed.  This book is such a true testament of our Heavenly Father's love for us and the love of our Savior.  Reading this book changed my life.  I have never looked back since.  

That was my turning point - sitting on my bed pondering life reminded me of the plan of happiness, and then while I sat and listened to General Conference, the spirit testified to me that I was in the right place, making the right choices and that I could be forgiven.  

From that day forward, I have not wavered from my commitment to the Lord.  I stand as a witness that Jesus Christ is my Savior.  He saved me - in every way.  My life would have been so different had I not stopped to hear the wonderful words of Primary songs fill my head as I questioned life's purpose.  

How grateful, very grateful I am that we can have personal revelation and that we have the gift of the Holy Ghost.  I now strive to have the Holy Ghost as my constant companion.  I am very blessed to have been able to raise my family in the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

I am so grateful for that moment.  Because of it, I was able to marry a man with the same beliefs and values.  We were able to raise our family in those beliefs and values. The most valuable thing I could ever give my children, give to you Robert, is that we were able to raise you in the Gospel and teach you about our Savior, teach you the Gospel, and share the Book of Mormon and other scriptures from the Lord. One other very important blessing in my life is that I believe in the Prophet of the Lord.  It was that first General Conference that testified to me that the Lord does love and know us.  He is aware of our situations and he blesses us with counsel and direction.  The teachings Jesus Christ and the Gospel are my foundation.  It is what governs my life.  

I hope you know how much I love you and how precious this gospel is!! We are so blessed to know the truth and the plan of happiness. 

I love you.

--

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!

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

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