Karsten's Adventures in the Kingdom of Thailand: Week 5 Bang Naa

Dear Family and Friends,

This past week we found out who was moving and who was staying. I am staying in Bangnaa where I have been for the last 6 weeks. I received a new companion, Elder Noyce, who is younger in the mission. He is great! He is a great motivation to me! I love when you get a companion who wants to get work done. We hope to do great things this transfer. This transfer is 1 week shorter because of Christmas.

This past P Day Elder Raleigh and I decided that we needed to clean the apartment. Let me say that it was dirty! We took everything out of the room we sleep and study in. We opened the windows and aired it out. Swept, mopped and reorganized! When we got done and put everything back I felt really good. That next day while I was studying I could just feel the spirit a whole lot more since we cleaned. In the scriptures, it talks about how we need to do all things in cleanliness before the Lord. I tell you what, if you can't seem to be finding investigators or things aren't going well it could be that you need to clean your room. Your room is where you start your day and end your day. If it is dirty and filthy you may not get what you need to learn that day. So clean it! Throw away what is not needed, sweep and mop. Do whatever you need to do to feel the spirit. I testify that being clean is one way that we will feel the spirit even more in our lives. So if you need to clean something, clean it (house, car, desk).

I find great satisfaction in this work! I find that when I am working hard and trusting in the Lord is when I feel the happiest. I just don't teach to drag people to the Celestial Kingdom, even though sometimes I feel like I am. I teach so that people will make changes in their lives to come unto our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. One investigator that we have been teaching is so close to getting baptized! In our last lesson we taught about fasting. I told the brother that if you really want to know that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God, you can fast. Fasting is a way that can call special blessing from our Heavenly Father. It is a way that we can become closer to Him. Sometimes I feel as if we need to show Heavenly Father we dont need temporal things to help us receive answers, like food or water. I feel as if we need to completely submit ourselves to Him and seek divine assistance by relying on Him. If you want to get answers to anything your first source is your Heavenly Father. We really committed him to fast. We will find out what happens.

Speaking of fasting, we were given a talk this last week that we read. It was titled The 40 Fast. In the talk it talked about a young missionary who when he taught couldn't feel the Holy Ghost. He asked the person who gave the talk what he should do. Now I forgot who gave the talk. In the talk the man who talked to the young missionary asked many questions, Are you obedient to mission rules? Do you get up on time? What do you think about when the opposite sex walks by? The man encouraged the young missionary to take a 40 day fast. Before that make a list of things that pokes at his spirit. Then throughout the next 40 days do all he can not to do those things on his list. At night in his prayers be accountable to Heavenly Father. Tell him what you did well and ask for strength on the things that you need help with. Our whole mission was asked to read this. I have found that since I started this fast I have become even more consecrated! I challenge you all to make a list of things that poke at your spirit and committed yourself to Heavenly Father. You will be able to have more power and authority in the Lords work.

We were sitting down waiting for our investigator to come to the church who wasn't able to make it. I thought to myself, "I don't want this! We are getting a new investigator!" I looked through my planner and found a number I got from another missionary. I called this man and asked if he was still interested and he said yes. He only had a few minutes. We taught very simply the God Head and about prayer. We committed him to pray everyday and speak to God. I have never met this man and dont know anything about him but he was willing and had faith to try. I have never seen God or Jesus Christ but if they called me on the phone I would listen to them. We may not see them but we can talk to them. Prayer is the way that we do that. We fold our arms and close our eyes, we say, Heavenly Father and then express our feelings and ask questions. When we finish we say, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen. You can pray anytime anywhere. He will listen and answer our prayers in His time and in His way. How simple is prayer? How often do we overthink it? Prayer is the only way we can communicate with Him. Say a pray if you need to. Have a prayer in your heart always too.

We had a baptism!! Oh boy was I happy for this brother. His name is brother King. He is great! Every time we taught him we asked him to go home and pray about what we taught. He did and each time he said he got an answer. After he was baptized he gave a short testimony he said that he knows this church is true. He has prayed about it and knows it even by coming here. I can tell that he was prepared. God has prepared those that will receive us. I know it! Have faith in Him because He is in charge. We are just His servants or His instruments. I am excited to see Brother King progress in the gospel!

I do have to say that those people I helped baptize are doing well. Some of them have been to the temple. Some of them have great callings and are progressing right along. God is going to do so much work through those who I helped to baptize. All the glory goes to Heavenly Father. All I did was His work. I love each and every one that I have been able to help. One man since I was in Samut Prakaan still hasn't gotten the Holy Ghost but I think that is one reason why I am here in Bangnaa, to help him get it.

Well that is missionary life ha.

Love

Elder Hinckley