Week 80: Back to Bangkok

Wow what a week! This week was full of surprises. 

On a p-day we met this one guy named Alex who had lived in Texas for 19 years and he knew that we were "Mormon" missionaries. He is a Thai person and was super kind to us, so he asked us to have lunch with him. So, we thought it would be with him and maybe 3 other people, but it turned out to be some sort of reunion. Overall, there was about 35 people there! It was insane!! 

I can really feel the spirit of Christmas here in Thailand. It's such an amazing opportunity to share the true meaning of Christmas with everyone! I have also had the opportunity to serve others and light the world. I got to cut a bunch of bamboo down this week which was way fun!! 

Our ward has also practiced singing for our Christmas program and for Christmas caroling on Christmas Eve!

My comp and I have continued to work on our member board and we made a ton of progress this week! We know it will be such a blessing to this mission and to the Thai people!

Brother Ping passed his interview and is totally ready to be baptized this Sunday!! Yayyyy!!

However, I will not be there :( I will be moving to Bangkok again to be President Hammond's Assistant. It's weird cause I've been to that area a billion times for transfers and switch offs, but now I'm the AP and it's my area. I'm excited for this opportunity to serve the Lord in a different way. New experiences and lessons await me!!

Love you all so much!!

Love, 

Elder Lowe 

เอ็ลเดอร์โลว์

Robert is so happy that Ping can be baptized

Sad to see Elder Tu go

Member Board

The goodbye for Elder Tu

Cutting Down Bamboo

Week 79: It's Beginning to Feel a Lot Like Christmas

It's really beginning to feel a lot like Christmas! Believe it or not...Thailand is sooo cold right now. I've been freezing the last several days, no joke. It is usually around 90-100 degrees every day, but this week the weather dropped to the 60s-70s and let's just say I was not ready. My parents told me that Thailand would never get cold so I have no jackets, sweatshirts, coats, etc. Thank you mom and dad, haha, jk!

Right now as I am writing this email I feel completely exhausted. This week has felt so long and has overall been very tiring on me. Needless to say, it was an amazing week full of miracles and cool experiences.

I officially hit my 18 month mark on Friday!!

To start the week we went around to some different members and worked on our member board! We were able to share the wonderful Christmas message with some members in Roi Et before leaving to the other areas this week. As a Zone Leader I get the privilege to travel around the area often and visit other missionaries in different areas. This week I got to go all over the Isaan and I even got to go to Bangkok. I switched off in Ubon on Wednesday, Korat on Thursday, Sisaket on Friday, and Asoke on Saturday. These different areas are pretty far from each other, so yeah it was a week of traveling.

Traveling this week was brutal for 2 reasons. 1) we traveled at night so I probably got about 10 hours of sleep total this week and 2) I was so so cold. However, I am done complaining about this past week and I want to talk about all the cool experiences that happened. 

On Wednesday I switched off with Elder Fushee, who is on his first transfer. We did a lot of service, as we are trying to light the world, and we visited some members in Ubon. I want to talk about 1 member in particular that has been a blessing to me. Her name is Sister Tip (ทิพย์) and she is a recent convert to the church. I had visited her about 2 months ago with another missionary, before she was baptized, and at that time she had no desire to be baptized. She was drinking with her friends and family, and not really paying attention to us. Me and the other missionary decided to love her enough to help her, not JUDGE her. We read the Book of Mormon with her that day and applied every verse into her own life and she was amazed. She couldn't believe how this one book was "written for her." Anyway, fast forward to about a month ago where I got to interview her for baptism. She had changed a lot from that first moment to the day of her baptism and I was so proud of her. Okay fast forward to Wednesday this week when I went with Elder Fushee. We came to teach her follow up lessons about the restoration and she started crying. She had goosebumps and had another witness by the Holy Ghost at that moment that what we were telling her was true. She told us she has quit alcohol for almost 2 months now and that she wanted to help her family to do the same. She also told us that she has a desire to share the gospel with her family and she wants the missionaries to teach and baptize her family as well. Miracles really do exist!

On Thursday I was in Korat on a switch off with Elder Blood, who I first met in the MTC. He came to country about a month after I did, so it was really cool to spend a day with him and see how he is doing. This Elder is solid and is a very social man; he loves talking to people, so we used that skill and decided to talk with everyone we could. We visited a bunch of members and shared the message of Christmas with them. I love asking people what is the meaning of Christmas? Or what is the best gift you could ever receive? And after that asking them how is Jesus Christ a gift in your life? Or what role does He play in your life? I'm truly grateful for my Heavenly Father who gave his Son to us to be our Savior and Redeemer. I'm grateful for Jesus Christ that he did everything for me and allows me to return back to my Heavenly Father again.

On Friday, I was in Sisaket and I switched off with Elder Cruz. I got to interview another lady for baptism who just got baptized yesterday! We basically did the same thing in Sisaket and visited some Less Active members and got them excited for this Christmas season.

Lastly, on Saturday I was in Bangkok and I switched off with the Assistants. I switched off with Elder Sumsion who goes home in less than 2 months. He is a very talented guy and way humble about it too. He is by far the best Thai speaker on the mission, it is literally insane. But, what I learned from him is the importance of getting less active more involved in missionary work. We had an appointment with this one less active named เจดน์ (jade), and we got to show him a Christmas video. He felt uplifted and bore his testimony of the Savior. We were so impressed that we asked him to come with us to our next appointment and share his testimony again. He agreed and brought such a strong spirit with him into the next lesson!

We got back to Roi Et on Sunday morning, showered, and then immediately went to church! I have had absolutely 0 breaks this weeks haha. But, we had a miracle at church this week with one of the people we are teaching. We have been teaching this guy named Ping (ปิง) for a long time (he has been am investigator for about 2 years). He has been to church a billion times, received the missionary lessons all the way through 4 times, and has wanted to be baptized for such a long time. However, he is 17 and he told us that his mom didn't give him permission to be baptized. That changed today when she walked into the church and my companion and I got to meet her for the first time. We gave her a church tour with another member at our side and she immediately gave permission for her son to be baptized. I'm honestly so excited for him and his eternal progression. He is set to be baptized on Sunday, December 22nd, which is in 2 weeks! Yayyy!

Again so sorry this was so long, but I just have felt so blessed this week. I love you all so much and I hope everyone is doing good. I invite you all to remember the true meaning of Christmas this Christmas season. Take some time to think of all the things that your Savior has done does you!! Trust me there's a lot.

Love,
Elder Lowe
เอ็ลเดอร์โลว์

PUPPIES!

On the Road again!

Christmas Tree in Thailand!

Week 78: Six months to sexy

Sooo yeah I am hitting my 18 month mark in like 4 days soooooo...I'm not ready for that! But on the bright side happy Thanksgiving everyone! I hope everyone had a great week and got to look back on all the things you are grateful for.

My week was great and I actually had a really good Thanksgiving day. Thanksgiving was actually on the same day as zone conference, so we prepared a really good traditional Thanksgiving dinner. Elder Despain and I gave a really sick training on working with members and we came up with a cool idea called, the Board of Members. Basically, I have been taking pictures of the members (with their permission) and writing their names underneath each picture. Then I've printed out these pictures and cut them out and taped them up to our wall at home. We are planning on taking pictures of all the members, so that no one gets forgotten. Many times, missionaries will teach people and they will be baptized, but shortly afterwards they will go less active. We want to implement this system so that each and every member is accounted for with a picture and a name! My district and I are currently working on a PowerPoint to present to our president because we really believe this could change the mission. 

After zone conference we were invited over for a fancy Thanksgiving dinner with the Mission President and his wife, the Stake Presidency, and the senior couple here. So in technically I got 2 Thanksgiving dinners!! 

Our goal this transfer is to simply love the members and those that we teach. We are working on developing relationships by helping them increase their faith in Jesus Christ. 

Lastly, it's the holiday season! I can't believe it's already December, which means Christmas is coming up!! I had 2 exchanges this week with Elder Thorn and Elder Meyer. We visited a ton of members and asked them about their relationship with the Savior. We made a goal to talk with more people about Jesus Christ since it is the Christmas season. Believe it or not, nobody in Thailand really knows the meaning of Christmas. We've asked a lot of people and they all just think it is the Christian's new year celebration day. It's been a wonderful experience to teach people the true meaning of Christmas as the day our Lord, Savior, and Redeemer came to this earth. I'm grateful for my Savior and for everything he went through for me! 

I love you all so much! I encourage you all to light the world this Christmas season by serving others, smiling, and sending an uplifting message to those you know. Have a great week!!

Love, 

Elder Lowe

เอ็ลเดอร์โลว์

Member Board

What is that on your head?

Week 77: SICK SICK week

So to be honest this week wasn't super productive like I wish it would have been. My companion has been sick for a while, but he took a real hit this week, especially on Tuesday. We have this thing called a district council every Tuesday and he had to lay on the floor the entire time due to his poor health. 

On top of that we had to go to MLC in Bangkok on Wednesday, but Elder Despain did not look good physically. In the end, I went to MLC with Elder Laurence, who is on his second transfer haha. Which totally caught President Hammond by surprise.

Bad news...I got pretty sick while I was in Bangkok just like Elder DeSpain. However, we had already scheduled a switch off with the Buriram Elders so I just had to push through it. I got to switch off with Elder Sugabo, who is on his 1st transfer and it was a lot of fun. I got to be like a trainer for a day which was so fun. I honestly miss being a trainer because it teaches you so much and you develop as a person as well. 

By the time I got back to my area I felt like death and honestly was the most sick I have ever been on my mission. Needless to say, we were still able to visit many members. Goals this week...get new people to teach. We are still teaching some people, but we want some new ones that may progress. 

Love you all so much. Next week I will hit my 18th month mark and it will be Thanksgiving! HAPPY THANKSGIVING. I'm grateful for all of you, for my parents my siblings, my friends, and everyone that has influenced me in my life. You all are the best!!

Love, 

Elder Lowe

เอ็ลเดอร์โลว์

Dynamic Duo:  Elder DeSpain and Elder Lowe (background)

Week 75: Trust in the Lord and good things will come

Hey everyone!!! I have hit my 75th week on my mission it's so crazy! I can't believe it's going so fast! This week was transfer week and I will be staying with my companion, Elder Despain. Not too much changed which I'm happy about because the other Elders in my house are all way chill. 

On p day last week we got to ride elephants!!! Last time I rode elephants was last year on my first transfer so yeah it's been a while. This time the elephants went in the water and started spraying water everywhere. How sick is that!!

This week I switched off with the Assistants to the President. We left for Bangkok on Wednesday night and switched off on Thursday. I switched off with Elder Butnon, who is Thai. He is so so good and we taught a lot of cool people. We taught this one person who was an investigator about a year and a half ago, but then was dropped due to a lack of interest. However, she showed up at church 3 weeks ago and the Assistants began teaching her again. Her name is Sister See (ศิ) and she is about 45 years old. We taught her the restoration and bore powerful witness about revelation and authority from God in these latter days. She wanted to know if we had that authority from God. We told her we did so she immediately asked if we could give a blessing to her daughter because she has been pretty sick lately, and so we set up an appointment for Saturday. She said that I had to be the one that gave the blessing, but we told her I'm actually from a different area. She then told us that she would wait for me to come back to Asoke so I could give the blessing. 

Elder Butnon and I could both feel the spirit as we were teaching the lesson, and its obvious that she felt it too. I love having the Spirit with me at all time; it is such a blessing! 

Our zone did so great this transfer and we saw a ton of miracles. I got the opportunity to do a lot of baptismal interviews this week and the people I interviewed were so fire! They are so prepared to be baptized. I actually got to teach one of them about a month ago on a switch off and they have changed so much. I am amazed how much the gospel changes people and how it blesses people's lives in tremendous ways!

I love working with the members and that has been a huge focus in my mission lately. We have worked with our ward mission leader, brother ปอ (paw), who is so fire. He loves serving the Lord and is always excited to go visit his brothers and sisters who have walked off the path just a little. Brother paw walks a path of discipleship and is an example to me of what true charity means. He sacrifices so much of his time to the Lord to work with us. On Monday, we bought a ton of Sarapao (a Thai snack - meat or cream wrapped in dough) that everyone loves. We took all of the Sarapaos around to a bunch of members and we got to see their faces light up. It's almost Christmas time and we want to light the world and serve everyone we can! I just love the people and the members here. They are honestly the best. 

I love you all so much. Oh yeah! We had the opportunity to visit a member pretty far away this week and they are having some hardships in their life. I got to share from Proverbs 3:5-6 that we just need to trust in the Lord with all our hearts and he will direct our paths. She started crying and realized that she just needs to have more faith and remember all that the Lord has given her already. I love the pure and understanding heart of these people. They are incredible examples to me of what a Christian or true disciple of Christ really is. 

Alright have a good week everybody! You are in my prayers.

Love, 

Elder Lowe

เอ็ลเดอร์โลว์

Week 74: Halloween and the New Prince of Thailand

To everyone back home...HAPPY HALLOWEEN! I can't believe it was Halloween week and now November! I hope everyone had a wonderful Halloween and got a ton of candy. For me I had been planning this Halloween for a while since it will be my last Halloween in Thailand. We are teaching this guy named Tui (ตุ้ย) and he has a ton of clothing at his house for his work. He let me borrow a prince outfit, so Elder Tu and I dressed up as princes haha. Needless to say, it was a really good Halloween and I had a ton of fun. 

Me and Elder Laurence finally finished editing the video we made and we are excited to post it soon! It looks pretty good, but it is a little long!!

On Wednesday, we had zone conference and it went really well! Elder Despain and I gave a training about following the spirit and how we can become more successful missionaries. It was way awesome!!! It was full of the spirit and President Hammond gave a strong training on prophets. I know that we have a living prophet today to guide the true church of Jesus Christ! I'm thankful for a prophet or a mouthpiece of the Lord that allows us to communicate with our Heavenly Father. We can hear the words of the Lord through his prophet. 

President Hammond also interviewed me and has inspired me to continue to find and teach families!!

Speaking of families, the one we are teaching is so good. They are so close to being baptized and they really know the things we teach to be true. We are planning for them to be baptized very soon! I'm so excited. 

I also got to do a switch off with Elder Robley and Elder Halversen from Korat! They are way cool and it's always fun to go on splits with Elder Halversen cause he is in my group from the MTC. 

Lastly, we went around on Saturday visiting a ton of members. Me and my companion probably visited 15 different houses of families or individuals! We gave them some fruit and chocolate milk just to let them know we are here to serve them and help them develop a stronger relationship with us. 

Love, 

Elder Lowe

เอ็ลเดอร์โลว์

P.S. My house has been filthy, like absolutely disgusting. No missionaries have cleaned it for so so long. So we decided to clean the house and it looks really good - good as new!!

Halloween Activity:

Sister ?, Sister Nielson, Robert and Elder Despain

Delicious