Week 81: Big Changes

So I am officially in Bangkok (not in Roi Et anymore) and things are just not the same. However, I got some good news! Brother ปิง (ping) got baptized on December 22nd!! I'm so happy for him and for the choice he made to become a true disciple of Jesus Christ :)

Wow this was such a crazy week I don't even know where to begin. To be completely honest, I am writing this email a week late because I didn't really get a p-day last week. But no worries cause I will write 2 emails this week.

To start off, we had transfer day on Thursday and it turned out that most of the mission was transferring. We had a transfer meeting and President asked me to lead the meeting, so right off the bat I had to do things I wasn't used to. Then we had trainers meetings and Mission Leadership conference and I had to pretty much wing all of it. However, I have learned a lot about following the spirit and being confident in myself way more.



My new companion is Elder Sumsion and he is the man. I think I mentioned him in an email a while back, but basically he is by far the best Thai speaking missionary. My first day in the area all the members were telling me how he talks like a Thai person. And he is way chill too so I think this will be a really great transfer and I know I will learn a lot as well!

Overall the first couple of days were a little crazy and way busy I cant even explain it. But I'm learning a lot and having fun too! I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas!!



Love,
Elder Lowe
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Week 76: Members #1

So it has been an interesting week for sure. Definitely one that I'll never forget. 

Transfer calls came on Tuesday night and one of the Elders in my house was not too happy about the next transfer coming up. He was completely silent the rest of the night and he decided to walk out of the house around 10:20pm to get some fresh air. He didn't bring his phone or any money either, so we knew he was just going to be right outside the house. He had been out there for a while and we are supposed to go to bed at 10:30pm, so we knew something was up. We then checked on him and he was just outside the house sitting down and thinking about life. We told him he needed to come back in for the night and he said just give him a sec. So we went inside and waited for a couple minutes and he still didn't come in. I was kind of worried something bad was going to happen and so we went back out and he was gone. We looked for him for about an hour after calling the President, but we had no luck. In the end he didn't come back to the house till about 2:00am that night! So yeah kind of a weird start to this transfer. 

Also one of the sisters in my MTC group just finished her mission this week, which is insane! I'm getting so old on the mission :/

We ate at a pizza buffet last week for p day and I ate probably over 30 slices of pizza (it was thin crust though). All in all, I felt way sick afterwards and never wanted to eat pizza again haha. 

We focused on some LA work this week by visiting members with other members. We are gonna make a strong push to meet with as many members as we can this transfer. Specifically bringing members to visit other members! The key to missionary work is the members and there is no way around that. Members trust each other, they understand the culture, the little things that missionaries miss. I can't stress the importance of working with members to strengthen other members and investigators. It is crucial!

On Saturday I got to work in Ubon for a service project. It was a whole zone service project, similar to the one we had last transfer. We got to scrape off paint in this one building, and then repaint it with a better color. It's very exhausting to scrape off paint trust me!!

The next day was Stake Conference in Sisaket, which was awesome! The members in Thailand are so great and have such strong testimonies. 

Lastly I interviewed with President after Stake Conference and he taught me a thing or two about Patience and Charity. I feel like I have become a little impatient lately, but my mission President reminds me that love is the most important thing. I need to have more love for those around me and have more empathy for them. 

Sorry this email was all over the place. I had like no time to write it! 

Love, 

Elder Lowe 

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Elder Depain

Missionary meal

Week 69: The Character of Christ

From Mark's Mom:  As you read Robert's email he will talk about his new companion, just FYI one of Mark's (Elder Lowe back in 1982) was Elder DeSpain.  NO WAY!!!!

From Robert:  Developing and emulating the character of Christ is the purpose of this life. I feel like I have been able to Draw closer and become more like my Savior, Jesus Christ, as a missionary. This week we had a wonderful district council about Christlike attributes. We talked about the character of Christ and what that really entails. One of the missionaries in my district shared a sentence from the talk entitled, "The Character of Christ." It says, "There would have been no Atonement except for the Character of Christ." I'm making an effort to become more like the Savior everyday in my thoughts, words, and deeds. I encourage everyone to do the same as well! If you are feeling down, sad, angry, stressed or anything I encourage you to turn outward like the Savior, not inward. Following the Savior brings pure joy and happiness!!

I just wanted to share that because sometimes in life we get so caught up on the little things. But what's most important is that we are becoming more like Christ and remembering Him at all times. 

This week has been a long one but way way good! I had 2 switch offs this week, but luckily they were both in my area! First, I switched off with Elder Sarabia, who is a Filipino. So many times I get stressed and I overreact to little things, but he would always say "don't worry, be happy." I like that type of mindset...just be happy!

I also switched off with Elder Freeze who is an older missionary than I am. He is a big dude and I mean like a big dude, but he was very good at making relationships with people. It turns out he has done 7 switch off with the Zone Leaders here and half of the time he would come to this area. So it turns out he knows the area pretty much as well as I know it! With both switch off days, I took these Elders to visit some recent converts and less active members and we took videos of their testimony. Like I said we are working on making a bunch of different videos and one of them will be centered on the members' testimony! We are so excited. 

In terms of new people that we will be teaching, we met this guy named Leon. He is way cool and we took him out to dinner on Monday. We had a casual conversation at first and then he switched it to religion. He mentioned the Bible and the Book of Mormon and asked what is the difference. We taught him such a fire restoration lesson and related everything to his own life. He says he is searching for the truth and we were able to bear powerful testimonies of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon! Overall, he has a ton of potential!

The family we are teaching (Giad, Nid, and Ingfaa) are doing so so good! They came to church and we are able to meet with them every Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday. We have sent them the basic belief videos and the restoration video and they watched them all. We gave them the pamphlet to read and they read it! We are focusing this week on having them read the Book of Mormon. I have such a strong testimony that deep conversion comes through diligent studying in the Book of Mormon! 

Lastly, we are teaching this one person named ตุ้ย (Tui). He is doing way good and we have been reading the Book of Mormon with him lately. Recently he wanted to dress us up. He said I looked like a prince and wanted us to come back on Halloween so he could dress us up like the King. Haha what a guy!

  

  

Oh yeah, this was transfer week. I will be staying in my area, but my companion will be leaving. My new companion is Elder Despain who is way cool! I've met him before and we are pretty close. He is 3 transfers older than me on the mission just like Elder Ratelle. It's gonna be such a good transfer. I'm so excited!! Love you all so much!

Love,

Elder Lowe

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Eating Thai style

Great district and zone!!!

Week 64: Roi Et - The promised land

So as a missionary we get to move around to different areas in the state or country we serve in. I just moved to the Eastern side of Thailand and it is like a new world compared to Bangkok. First of all, to get to Roi Et (my new area), I took a bus by myself for about 8 hours, which was one of the strangest experiences on my mission. I'm so used to always having a companion around, but he didn't come down to pick me up. Anyways on the way there I realized how weird it was to see no cars on the street. In Bangkok the traffic is insane, but now I'm in the country part of Thailand. 

I'm in a biking area now, which I am stoked about. However, it rains every single day so I have been soaked and filthy the last couple of days. We are working with a bunch of Returning Members and apparently there are a ton of people we need to help reactivate. 

One of the people we visited this week bought some ส้มตำ or papaya salad right beforehand. Anyways I have been told that on the East side of Thailand the food is very spicy. So, I start eating this ส้มตำ and me and my comp are almost in tears from how hot this ส้มตำ is. I just open my mouth and saliva starts pouring out in like buckets. All in all, the food here is extremely spicy so I'm a little concerned for my life. Hopefully I will be alright! 

I love you all so much! I love serving the Lord in Thailand! This is a scripture that I really love in the Book of Mormon:

"And upon these I write the things of my soul, and many of the scriptures which are engraven upon the plates of brass. For my soul delighteth in the scriptures, and my heart pondereth them, and writeth them for the learning and the profit of my children." I encourage you all to read the scriptures because they are for us. Don't forget the power of the words of Christ. No matter how hard life gets, answers and help are found in the scriptures! 

Love,

Elder Lowe

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(Sorry not too many photos this week)

Bus ride to Roi Et

Arriving in Roi Et

Week 39: Transferred to Bangkok

Hey not much for this week! Transfer calls just came and President said that I will be training a new missionary. I am leaving Phuket which means I will be whitewashing a new area in Don Muang. I'm so excited for this experience! Its gonna be way fun! 

In terms of Phuket, the area is doing so good. I remember starting that area with very few investigators and now leaving it we have over 20 with 5 daters. I'm so grateful for my time in Phuket and all the members and people I met there. I love them so much! Sorry I don't have much time this week, but I'll let you know how everything goes next week!

Love, 

Elder Lowe

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Happy Birthday to Elder Robert Lowe

Beautiful family with Robert

Elder Lowe and Robinson looks so very happy

English classes

Elder Robinson and Elder Lowe just before Robert leaves Phuket

The Gavotos family takes them to the airport

Kings of the world - well at least Phuket

Week 33: First Glance of Heaven's Light

Wow so many miracles this week it has been insane! To start today was transfer day and I got the news that I will be staying in Phuket for another transfer with Elder Robinson. This will be my 4th transfer here and I am so excited for the work to keep growing. We have done so much inviting and we have worked so hard, so I hope me and my companion's hard work pays off. 

So far it has payed off big time. This week I got my first baptism in Phuket. She rocked her baptismal interview and then on Sunday Sister อ้อย(oi) was baptized. She is such a wonderful daughter of God and I am so grateful that I had the chance to help her grow a relationship with her father in Heaven. Speaking of that Sunday, I got to translate in church, give the sacrament prayer, give a talk in sacrament meeting, give a talk during the baptism, and I had the opportunity to baptize Sister อ้อย. Such an awesome day and I could feel the spirit so strongly!! I could seriously feel God's love for her so much and I know she got her first glance of heaven's light. 

One of the people we began teaching not too long ago has really progressed. This week we have been able to teach him a good amount. His name is กอล์ฟ (golf), and he has a smoking addiction. He really wants to get over it and this week we have really worked hard on deepening his relationship with Jesus Christ. We have had Sister อ้อย teach กอล์ฟ with us and it is just so cool to see her desire to change and share that change with others. 

We have a couple of cool people that may be pretty good but my favorite person is this young boy named William. He is so fire! He legit tells him mom "tomorrow is Sunday, let's go to church." He is only 8 or 9 and has already begun to read a bunch from the Book of Mormon. All in all, I love this area and the opportunity I have to help it blossom. I feel so blessed every day and I know that the Lord is looking after each and everyone one of you. He knows your sorrows and your trials. If you just turn to him and ask for help, he will ease your burdens. Love you all so much!!! 

Love

Elder Lowe เอ็ลเดอร์โลว์

1) me and my man uwe Baumann

2) me and my boy Golf

4, 9, 10) looking over the city of Phuket

5, 6) baptism of sister อ้อย

7) mini golf

8) English class

Week 27 for Robert: Chicken Waffles and Flat Tires

สวัสดีครับทุกคนนะครับ

ทุกคนเป็นอย่างไรบ้างครับผมก็หวังว่าสบายดีครับอาทิตย์นี้เปี่ยมไปด้วยความตื่นเต้นเพราะว่ามีครอบครัวฝรั่งมาภูเก็ตครอบครัวนี้เป็นสมาชิกมานานแล้วแต่ว่าในช่วงนี้เป็นสมาชิกที่เข้มเข็งน้อย อาทิตย์นี้เป้าหมายของผมกับคู่คือช่วยให้ครอบครัวนี้พัฒนาและเติบโตศรัทธาในพระเยซูคริสต์ ช่วงนี้เป็นช่วงคริสต์มาสเพราะฉะนั้นเราสองคนไปเยี่ยมสมาชิกหลายคน ผมกตัญญูที่ไดเป็นผู้สอนศาสนาที่ภูเก็ตแล้วก็โอกาสที่จะแบ่งปันเรื่องพระเยซูและการพระสูติมาของพระองค์

อาทิตย์นี้มีข่าวเพิ่มเติมนะครับผมกำลังจะเป็นคู่ที่นำเขตผมตื่นเต้นจังที่จะช่วยเขตนี้พบกับความสำเร็จวันนี้มีปีมาณแค่นั้นนะครับ

Hello everyone! How is everyone doing? I hope everyone is doing well. This week was full of excitement because we got to do a lot of inviting and visiting less active members. This week an American family came to Phuket where they once lived. It was an amazing experience to connect with this family and reactivate them. They have so many problems they are dealing with, many of them tracing back to the past. All of their children have began to doubt and fall away from the church but visiting them this week gave two of their kids the idea to go on a mission. It was so cool! We also got fed so much, and finally some good ole American food!! Aka chicken and waffles :)

I felt so much happiness this week because of the service I was able to perform. Many people are เกรงใจ, unwilling to let me serve them. However, me and my comp passed out packages with treats, a picture of Jesus, and a note saying Merry Christmas (สุขสันต์วันคริสต์มาส) to many people this week! I honestly get such a warm feeling when I serve others and brighten their day. Lighting the world and your community doesn't even have to be something big! If you have an idea go for it. Any service, no matter how small, is still service and most likely benefits more people than we originally would have thought. I know serving others is truly serving the Lord. When we serve and choose to follow God's instructions for us, we and those around us will be blessed in-numerously. 

In church this week I translated all of sacrament meeting. Definitely not easy but was really good practice and I am able to see slight growth each week. I wanted to practice in case if I had to train this next transfer and translate every week. 

Speaking of transfers, I got transfer calls last night. My companion will be leaving and I will get a new companion. The new companion is named Elder Robinson and I met him in the MTC. I think he is on the email list so shout out to you Elder Robinson! He is going into his 3rd transfer and I am going into my 4th. So yeah we are a young companionship but totally ready for the adventure and challenges that await. I'm excited to be Senior comp and help this area as much as I can.  

That's about it for the week! The people we are teaching aren't progressing super fast, so I got a lot of work ahead of myself! Love you all so much and I hope everyone has a wonderful Holiday season!! 

Love,

Elder Lowe 

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1) chicken and waffles at the Govatos' house...missed you boys

2,5) English class is wild

3) The only Christmas tree in Thailand haha

4) a calzone full a phad thai ผัดไทย - so so fire 

6) got 2 flat tires this week!!

7) the lovely members took us out to dinner