Just Thought I'd Share

Every Wednesday we get a letter from Aaron. I just thought that I would share with you all a section of todays word from Thailand. Sharing these missionary experiences via email, thousands of miles away is great!

"So what sweet things happened this week? Hmm... Let's start with our 14-year-old recent convert who is a champion in every sense of the word. His name is Nad. He lives with his 17-year-old brother. Their parents and older brother are all dead. He comes to church every week and makes sure to come early to prepare the Sacrament. Last week we were teaching him the last of the recent convert lessons. We were teaching about teaching and learning in the Church. At one point we asked him a question and he just looked at us and said, "Elders, going to church is not hard." Wow! If only all our investigators could have heard this kid say that and consider his circumstances that are so much worse than theirs. Like I said, champion. Then, we decided to hold Family Home Evening with him every Monday night since he really needs the friendship of the elders and he doesn't really have a family to hold it with. We asked him to teach the lesson. We brought refreshements. (Btw, thanks for the package Mom. We used what we hadn't eaten ourselves for refreshments.) So we show up and this 14-year-old recent convert with no parents and only like 4 months experience in the Church teaches us this sweet lesson about the coming forth of the Book of Mormon through the prophet Joseph Smith. Nothing intricate or fancy. Mostly just reading from the Book of Mormon stories book the Church puts out for kids. So humble. So full of faith. This kid is a champion. If only I could be more like him. Next on our list is this guy named Tawadchay. He just got married. Yesterday we showed up expecting to teach about being cleansed through Christ and repentance, but he invited his wife, Daw (like "aww, a cute puppy"), to listen. So we changed it up and gave a short lesson about the Restoration of the Church of Jesus Christ, the Book of Mormon, and prayer. Mentioned eternal families at one point and I think she liked that. She isn't necessarily enthusiastic about learning, but she had some good questions and is willing to try, and a willingness to try I think is what Alma calls "an experiment upon my words". With the two of them learning together, oh man! This is going to be great! Last on the list is this family man named Phot (like p-oh-d). We haven't had a chance to teach his whole family, but this man is legit. The first time we met with him he was like, "Wow, this stuff really makes me feel warm. I can tell you guys are men of God because you are always so happy when I see you." He prayed with us for the first time this week... Coolest experience ever! He struggled a bit and Elder Welch ended up finishing the prayer for him, but praying in front of people is a tough thing for someone who has never done it before. Shows a lot of courage and faith on his part. Oh man... I sure hope we can teach well enough to not screw this one up!"