Seeking Faith

"Last week we went to go siteseeing. It was us 4 Elders and the 4 members who invited us to go. We went to a mountain and it was beautiful! We were so high that all you could see was the forest and fog. It was awesome! The weather was really nice too. It wasn't hot and the wind was blowing, so it was a great day for the trip. We took pictures, but with the other Elder's camera, so I will try to get them for you."

"This week we had zone conference. We were in Chiang Mai on Thursday and Friday. We were visited by Elder Gong. I even had a special opportunity to be interviewed by him. He is a really nice man full of love and charity. He knew me quite well and was impressed by my mission and the things that I have learned throughout. He talked to us about the Atonement of Christ, the Plan of Salvation, Plan of Redemption, and Plan of Mercy. It was truly inspiring for the entire mission. We were also visited by some church history people. I heard that there is a new exhibit in Utah on the Foundations of Faith. It sounds cool and I really want to see that."

"We had some miracles happen as well. Elder Parker and I have been trying really hard to get new investigators. This last Sunday, we had no one show up for Sacrament. We were sad but we did have one of our LAs come back, so that was great. During the second hour, two girls walked in. It was a mother and a daughter. They are from another church. We talked to them and asked if we could teach them about our church and they said yes! I found out that they are from a place out of town, but they would be here every weekend. They were looking for a church to worship and came across the Hope Church. They entered there and felt like this was not it. Then they saw our church and came in and felt great, so they decided to stay. They were very open to the things that we were teaching them, such as Prophets and the Book of Mormon. They said that they would read the book and then pray about it. We asked if we could meet them again and they said yes! We can only teach them on the weekends, but that is just fine with me. They are great and also have a son who did not come to Phitsanulok with them. They were brought here by God and we need to help them. Also, we must be doing something right for him to just send them right to us. haha"

"We also have another investigator. She is friends with some of the RCs and doesn't care about some of the problems going on, because this is her decision and she understands that. It is amazing that she is like this because it can be really hard sometimes. However, she is having a hard time with Faith. She can't believe something unless she can see it. I tell her about Faith all the time, but we are still working on it with her. The other day, she comes up and tells us that her sister is Catholic and just left to serve a mission. She was emotional and asked why God would make her sister throw away her family, if he is all about family? She asked me why I would leave my family to be a missionary? First off, we clarified that we are two different churches and then told her that her sister didn't leave her family and that they would receive many blessings because of her service. Elder Sayavong was with me and shared his experience about not being supported by his family in this decision. He brought the spirit in so well. She then told us about her mom being sick with cancer and we shared about miracles and that even miracles are an act of Faith. We then prayed with her. She was emotional and the spirit was very strong. After that day, she contacts me a lot wanting to know answers to tons of questions. I can't wait for her to finally received an answer and to understand it, so she can make the decision she needs to."

"I hope that you are doing well mom. I'll pray for you! I'll have to take some pictures of the house for you. It is nice but super messy and there is mold all over the ceiling. No one cooks. I eat khao soi a lot here. It's some northern dish and really good. I snack on chips and cookies. I don't need any white shirts, but I'll just buy them here if I need to.  I will get another suit made if that is ok? That is really cool about Andrea Wood's homecoming. I agree with her about how true the importance of following the promptings of the spirit is. I love you all so much and I'll send pictures, but it will have to be later though."

Elder Jacob Smith 

5 Baptisms in Phitsanulok!

"This letter will be short because I don't have much time today. We are going site-seeing with the members and we're leaving real early. We were able to get 5 baptisms here in Phitsanulok this week. It was a straight up miracle because of what happened earlier in the week."

"Monday, I tried talking to a recent convert who was feeling down about something. She just got up and left. I guess there is a lot of gossip that was going on in the branch. I told everyone that I didn't think that they understood what family means and then things went crazy! I said that they need to be a family and that families love each other. That night we get a call from all 6 of our daters to tell us that they were not going to get baptized or go to church. They had all gotten together and decided to drop. This put our whole district in high distress! We were up all night trying to fix it and nothing was working. I was really upset because I felt that I had failed. I cried! I did! I couldn't believe that gossip, lying, and stupid little things, could cause 6 investigators and another 5 new converts to fall away from the church. I felt that no matter what I did, it wouldn't change anything. I felt no spirit and I was frustrated with myself. I could only think to pray to God and have him fix it. And of course he did. The next two days were heck trying to talk to these emotionally wrecked teens and just tell them to stop doing what they were doing. Then God stepped in and fixed it. He got them all together and they argued for hours until they finally forgave each other. That was good."

"Then I had another new member come up to me and said that she was fed up with the church and that she was going back to her old church because the members here did not care enough for God. I talked with her a long time until she finally said her decision was made and thanked me for being a God fearing man. I had thought that she had a great testimony and was doing awesome. I can honestly say that I have never been so angry/sad/sorrowful/and who knows what other emotion. I got on my knees and cried to my Father in Heaven. I told him that I don't know what to do. I needed him. I asked where art thou? Then softly I had an answer that said, "Don't worry. I am with thee." Even though I heard the answer, I had a terrible sleepless night. The next day I get a call from that member and she tells me that she wants to come back. It was funny because in Thai she said that she wanted to go back to her old church. I thought she meant her other church. I said, "Yes, I know. You told me last night. Why are you calling me again?" She then repeated it and I gave the same response again. Then she said, "Do you know what I mean?" I said, "Yes!" and she said, "No!" haha  She meant she is coming back to our church. She had prayed that night and read in the scriptures and received confirmation again that the church is true. She is a nurse and she said that right now the church in P-lok is just sick and needs assistance. She is now good and converted and continues to come to me for advice."

"This was the miracle and chastisement that I received. I realized that I needed to rely on the Lord more and stop being so stressed. I need to use faith and listen to the promptings of the spirit. Everything is better now and yes there are still problems, but I face them differently and with more faith in the Lord. The 5 were baptized this Sunday and the other one is on the way. The ward is struggling but through faith all things are possible. I love the Lord and I know that he is real and answers every prayer. He shows us our weaknesses to make us stronger."

"Conference was great, but I didn't watch it in English, so I'm going to do that this week. I ride my bike everywhere. It's nice but my butt hurts and my bike is all rusty from not using it for the last year. There is one thing that I would really like to do. I want to come back and go to the temple with my RCs in July. They really want me to go with them, however, that requires me going to Thailand, then Hong Kong, and then home again. If that is possible, I would really like to do that. I love you all so much!"

Elder Jacob Smith   

Prepared to Lead

"We are just getting used to being in Phitsanulok. We have 4 investigators from the last Elders. They really liked Elder Tamang, so I'm trying hard to get them to trust me. We are doing really well but we haven't been able to get anyone to church this week. We will work even harder with these investigators. I had 4 baptism interviews yesterday and they all passed which was awesome! The area here is great. The branch is struggling and we have no mission leader. Also a lot of the branch presidents have gone less active. I have talked to the current branch president and with him, the Elders and other missionaries, we are determined to get this place up and running again. I'm excited to work here. I know there are a lot of prepared people for us to teach and baptize. The members are super and there are a lot of youth. We have a lot of work to do with the RCs."

  
"Elder Parker is doing great and is very skilled. I am helping him a lot with his reading and he is improving fast. I've been a little tough on him but it will help him get good with the language. We get along great and he has a good attitude about everything. He has a big desire to see a baptism and he is a fantastic missionary."

"I have a cool story that I'd like to share with you. There is a 19 year old investigator of the other Elders who has been learning for a couple months now. When I asked the Elders about her, they said that they have taught her everything but she will not be baptized. She accepted everything but just would not do it. She has been on her own since she was 12 and felt that everything that happens is by personal thought and not from the Spirit. I've talked to her and am surprised because she acts and talks like a member already. If she was a member, she would be so Boss! Well, we had a BOM class and hadn't really planned anything, so as DL, I lead the class and talked about 2 Nephi 31. It is about the Doctrine of Christ. After the lesson, she went up to the Elders and told them that she is ready and wanted to be baptized! They were so happy and asked her why she decided to do it now? She walked up to me and told me that she was going to be baptized and that it was because of what I had said when I was teaching about baptism. She said she really felt that she needed to be baptized. WOW! I didn't even plan for it! Later when the other Elders got home, they both came up to me and gave me a big hug and told me how grateful they were for me. They said that it was because of me that she decided to be baptized. I am so unworthy of the praise because I knew it was from God and not me. I was able to interview her for baptism yesterday. It was a long interview because she shared her whole conversion with me. She told me many personal and sacred experiences that she had not even shared with the other missionaries. She already feels that we are good friends and that she can trust me. She passed her interview and I will be really happy to see her baptized. It was a really good week. This experience helped me to know that I must have been prepared to be a leader and DL at this time. I love you all so much!"

Elder Jacob Smith

"P.S. - Elder Sayavong came up and told me that my English really stinks. He is a Khon Lao and said this to me. haha Then Elder Parker agreed and said that I use Thai grammar structure when speaking in English. He understands me but it is weird for him. I don't even notice it, but Elder Parker is now correcting me and it happens a lot! haha Oh well!"  

North to Phitsanulok

Chiang Mai Zone

"I don't have a lot to tell you today, but I have some big news! We had transfers and I am up North in Phitsanulok. I haven't really been too far from Bangkok, so this will be a fun experience and I am also white washing the area. Secondly, I am the district leader and my district is fantastic! Third, I am also training a new missionary and last, I am the 1st counselor in the branch presidency. Yep that's right, I went from almost no responsibility to all of them at once! It's alright though. If God called me to do it, than it must mean that I am ready to do it. We are going to rock it here in Phitsanulok!"

"Yes, I have a child here in the mission and his name is Elder Parker. He is from Holladay, Utah. He is a nice kid and loves life. He is very talkative, which is great because he will learn the language fast. He is doing awesome! White washing the area will be tough but nothing we can't handle. In no time we will be baptizing just like before. I need to be a good example for the rest of the district. It will be fun. I live with Elder Baldwin from California and Elder Sayawong who is a Khon Lao."

"Right now I am in Chiang Mai. We had a district conference here, so I haven't even really spent an entire day in Phitsanulok. I can't wait to go back but we are first having a zone activity. There isn't much to talk about because I haven't had anything happen yet. I have spent the last couple days just sleeping in buses. haha  What a change it has been. I'll have to tell you how it all goes next week. I'm super excited to train. Elder Parker will do great and I am certain that he will get along with all the members. It is my goal to get to know all the members as fast as possible. This week will be a crazy one but I'm sure it will be a great transfer. I'm ready to see the miracles that come from having the Greenie fire all the time. Areas do great when there is a Greenie around, as long as you are doing what you are suppose to. I'd love to have all your prayers this week!"

Elder Jacob Smith

Blessed to Have Served

"This week we were able to get three baptisms! We had one on Wednesday. She is about 50 years old and really has a lot of faith. She loves coming to church and is trying to come every week. We linked her to a member, so she will be taken cared of. We then had two people get baptized this Sunday. One was a 19 year old girl and the other was an 11 year old boy. They are both awesome! Their testimonies were fantastic. The girl was a tough one because she got called in to work in Korat that morning. She couldn't be baptized if she didn't attend sacrament meeting, so she went to work late to stay for sacrament and then returned after work to be baptized. I know that she had to have much faith to do that. The other kid is a boss! He understands so much for a kid. We finally got permission from President Senior to baptize him. We taught him but basically just reviewed everything because he knew it all already. His testimony is amazing! After the baptism, the members came up and told us that this kid was solid. Both of them are great. Now Elder Bassett and I have baptized every one of our investigators and we really don't have anyone left to teach. haha"

"We found out now that we can only go contacting no more and no less than 2 hours a day. It is because it is so hot right now. We also have to find one LA each week. These are new mission rules. This week I loved teaching our RCs and having them tell me that they don't want me to leave. Transfers are this Thursday and I'm not sure if I'm going but I'm probably out of here. I have also had a lot of members come and ask me not to leave. I guess they realize that I am a good missionary and not a flirt. haha  I am hard working and get things done because I started serving the members more. I've come to love the people here and it will be hard to leave. The ward mission leader pulled me aside and told me that he was blessed to have served with me and that he hopes that I go somewhere that I like. He said that no matter where I go, I will work hard and be a great leader. That made me happy and these people have been a blessing to me too."

"That was really cool that Dallon met Elder Unsworth! I really liked him a lot, but never got to be his companion. They should become good friends. I love you all so much and Happy Birthday to Dallon, Tori and Grandpa!"

Elder Jacob Smith 

When ye ask, ye shall receive!

A visit from an old friend and convert,  Brother Oat!

"This week was a hard week. It was tough because we really didn't have much time to go contacting, so we didn't get any new investigators. However, we did get three baptisms as a district yesterday! It was a good Sunday, but I am really tired and my eye hurts a little. It is swollen and everyone is saying that I need to sleep more because I looked dead. haha  I'm fine though. We planned on having one investigator ready, but she had to leave so we will baptize her on Wednesday. The challenge will be getting people to attend the service."

"We taught a lot this week. We have about 3 people going to be baptized next week. We are excited because this may be my last full week here and it would be great to leave with a bang. haha  We have seen lots of miracles too. We had a great opportunity to talk to this LA member. His name is Black. At first we had no idea he was a LA member and we were feeling a little down because our appointment didn't show up. Then the members that were there asked us to explain the pre-mortal life. We were a little confused as to why but started to teach it. The man didn't understand any of it. Then it hit me and I asked him how long had it been since he had been to church? He replied over 15 years. We then understood what the members were trying to tell us. This man had been inactive for a long time and had forgotten everything. We began by teaching him about the Plan of Salvation. After he asked us why we had chosen to teach that lesson? We answered just because we were talking about it. He then told us that he had been asking God to help him to understand again and he was getting impressions to come back to church. He was too scared to attend English class and talk to us. He wanted to know certain things and we had answered the questions he had. He was surprised that we taught him the Plan of Salvation because that was the first lesson he remembered and learned. We are going to work with this man for sure!"

"We got a visit from Elder Allen who is the President over missionary work around the world. He came and reprimanded us for not being better than we are. He said great things about our baptisms, but then told us that we needed to work better with the members. He also wanted us to start working on other areas too, such as member and RC referrals. He reamed us really hard, but I was totally ok with it because Elder Bassett and I were already discussing the same things. I feel like we have been doing great getting referrals from members and RCs. It was really good and I enjoyed receiving direction from him. He also gave a promise to the mission that if we do all the things that he told us by increasing the other areas of the mission; then when we ask, we will receive. I really want that so I will be sure to do it all! I love you so much!"

Elder Jacob Smith

A New Generation of Members

"This is the week we have been waiting for. We had two baptisms! They are the family of Brother Lek. It was such a busy day and I am still so tired. I now understand the energy that God gives his servants to perform his work. The baptism was last Sunday at 4:00pm. We didn't want a lot of people to attend because they are a really shy family. It was also Ward Conference and we had 150 people at church! That is a crazy number! It was so amazing that even the Zone Leaders asked how it happened? I just told them that it was another Rangsit miracle. haha  We had 7 investigators to take care of and all the new members, so that was fun. After church we had to teach a lot of people and also help a member move his house all before 3:30 so we could set up for the baptism. Well, while we were doing all this, the members took the two being baptized to go change. They were dressed for three hours awkwardly waiting and were so embarrassed. Then the computer was down and we couldn't make any baptism programs. We had correlation meeting at 3:00 that went to 3:40 and when we came out, the family was sitting on the stage and everyone was sitting ready for the baptism to start. That is great except for the fact that the family was that way for a long time and all everyone had been doing was singing. I was nervous because the wife is so shy and she was given a dress that was way too big for her. She had to be dunked three times because it wouldn't go under the water. AHHH! Afterwards she said that she didn't want to go back into the room because everyone would look at her, so we had to help calm her down. It is a miracle that she was baptized and I am praying that she will get the spiritual confirmation that she is cleansed from sin and that she had done the right thing. Eventually she came back in and said that she would come to get the Holy Ghost next week, so everything went good. She no longer has to do anything that will embarrass her and she can begin making friendships to make it easier for her. The Lord will help her as well. Brother Lek was so happy that his family was baptized. I even saw that he got tears in his eyes. It was a great Sabbath and I am so very tired. I know that if I wasn't a missionary, I would be sleeping right now and nothing would get done. The family will be forever blessed and I am very grateful that God allowed me to be a part of that great blessing."

"We didn't do much on Monday and Tuesday except teach English. We have lots of investigators getting prepared to be baptized and two with baptism dates for this week, so we are excited. We met with so many people that we were able to get 10 lessons with a member, 11 with RC/LAs and 13 other lessons. It is crazy but completely possible! We  have a lot of great investigators and I'm going to be sad when I leave. I feel that we are baptizing a new generation of members that are really good at helping the Lord's work progress and I want to make sure that it happens all over Thailand. I love you all so much and I am doing a great work!"

Elder Jacob Smith